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14/01/2005
Police to clamp down on 'bail bandits'
The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, has launched a new scheme to target defendants who skip bail.
'Operation Turn-up' will feature a series of 'local blitzes' across England and Wales, with police turning up at offenders' homes or work places and bringing them to court.
The blitzes are set to run at different times, so that defendants with a 'Fail to Appear' (FTA) warrant, will not know when they wlll be targeted. However, the campaign has already launched a series of posters, leaflets and letters, warnings of the crackdown and urging offenders to surrender of their own accord.
Speaking at the launch of 'Operation Turn-Up' in Wakefield, Yorkshire, the Attorney General, said that nearly one in eight of these "bail bandits" fail to turn up in court. He said: "This disrupts the course of justice, causes delays in the court process and inconveniences victims and witnesses."
Lord Goldsmith went on to say that local criminal justices have already introduced measures aimed at insuring defendants attend in the first place. These include Court Information Packs, which are issued to defendants when they are charged; reminder cards, also issued at the time of charge and telephone reminder calls.
Robert Taylor, Assistant Chief Constable Greater Manchester Police and ACPO lead on warrants, said that those defendants with outstanding FTA's that are picked up as part of the operation would be taken straight to court. He also emphasised that they might be tried straight away and may receive a separate sentence for the FTA offence.
The government has pledged to bring 1.25 million offences to justice in 2006-07. In the year ending September 2004, the figure was 1.1 million, an increase of 9.6% since the baseline in March 2002.
Lord Goldsmith said that the government "will not tolerate bail bandits". He said: "My message today is that if you don't turn up at court when you are meant to, the justice system will track you down to face justice. My advice to those who have skipped bail is to surrender now rather than wait for the police to come and get you."
(KMcA/SP)
'Operation Turn-up' will feature a series of 'local blitzes' across England and Wales, with police turning up at offenders' homes or work places and bringing them to court.
The blitzes are set to run at different times, so that defendants with a 'Fail to Appear' (FTA) warrant, will not know when they wlll be targeted. However, the campaign has already launched a series of posters, leaflets and letters, warnings of the crackdown and urging offenders to surrender of their own accord.
Speaking at the launch of 'Operation Turn-Up' in Wakefield, Yorkshire, the Attorney General, said that nearly one in eight of these "bail bandits" fail to turn up in court. He said: "This disrupts the course of justice, causes delays in the court process and inconveniences victims and witnesses."
Lord Goldsmith went on to say that local criminal justices have already introduced measures aimed at insuring defendants attend in the first place. These include Court Information Packs, which are issued to defendants when they are charged; reminder cards, also issued at the time of charge and telephone reminder calls.
Robert Taylor, Assistant Chief Constable Greater Manchester Police and ACPO lead on warrants, said that those defendants with outstanding FTA's that are picked up as part of the operation would be taken straight to court. He also emphasised that they might be tried straight away and may receive a separate sentence for the FTA offence.
The government has pledged to bring 1.25 million offences to justice in 2006-07. In the year ending September 2004, the figure was 1.1 million, an increase of 9.6% since the baseline in March 2002.
Lord Goldsmith said that the government "will not tolerate bail bandits". He said: "My message today is that if you don't turn up at court when you are meant to, the justice system will track you down to face justice. My advice to those who have skipped bail is to surrender now rather than wait for the police to come and get you."
(KMcA/SP)
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