Keeping low-level offenders out of court ‘is better for everyone’

THE number of completed criminal cases being seen at magistrates courts across the region has dropped sharply between 2009 and 2012, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice.
Postman Chad Dennison who took part in a neighbourhood resolution panel following a dog attack, rather than prosecute the owner.Postman Chad Dennison who took part in a neighbourhood resolution panel following a dog attack, rather than prosecute the owner.
Postman Chad Dennison who took part in a neighbourhood resolution panel following a dog attack, rather than prosecute the owner.

Of the 20 ‘local justice areas’ covering magistrates’ courts included in a Freedom of Information Act response, 15 saw drops during the period, some by as much as 34.4 per cent. Wakefield and Pontefract saw the biggest drop, from 17,060 to 11,196. Some court areas, including Doncaster and East Yorkshire, saw more cases in this period.

The picture at Crown Courts, where more serious cases are dealt with, was less clear. While the number of sentencings carried out rose steadily across the region from 2002 to 2012, the number of trials was higher in 2009 than in 2002, before dropping again by 2012.