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Taxpayers are footing the bill to fly sheriffs around British Columbia as the province grapples with a chronic shortage of the courtroom staff and frustrated judges speak out about delayed and stayed cases.

Attorney General David Eby said the government is working to train more sheriffs to provide courtroom security while dealing with the problem of police forces luring recruits with higher pay.

"We have a very serious issue with a shortage of sheriffs in the province and we are currently flying some sheriffs from courthouse to courthouse to make sure we have enough sheriffs to keep courthouses open," Eby said in a recent interview. "It's obviously a significant public expense to do that."

Eby said part of a $20 million NDP platform commitment has been earmarked to deal with the shortage, and he's concerned the issue could erode public confidence in the justice system.

Lack of sheriffs is a long-standing problem that surfaced under the previous Liberal government, Eby said, adding a low salary is one of the key retention issues.

"Many of them are being hired to work as police officers instead of staying on to work as sheriffs because of very significant pay disparity between working as a sheriff in court and being a police officer," he said.

Chief provincial court judge Thomas J. Crabtree said court facilities can't operate without appropriate security.

"B.C. Sheriff Services members are located in each courthouse across the province to ensure the safety of court users while on court property and in courtrooms, including members of the public, witnesses, victims, the judiciary, legal counsel and parties," Crabtree said in a statement.

Dean Purdy, vice-president of Corrections and Sheriffs Services for the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union, said 14 deputy sheriffs have left in the last four weeks and 90 per cent of them have been recruited by police forces.