Row as checks lead to long queues for justice

Before Christmas lawyers, jurors and witnesses frequently spent up to 40 minutes waiting in snow and freezing temperatures to get inside the premises which houses 19 Crown and County courts.

Dewsbury MP Simon Reevell, a barrister even wrote to the Ministry of Justice expressing his concerns including the potential for intimidation as witnesses and defendants were forced to queue close to each other.

That led to the Courts Service installing a third security arch to reduce the queuing times and moving the checks further inside the building so more people could wait inside to have bags hand searched.

But it took some days for the third arch to be connected and the delay of an hour to at least one trial in January drew an official complaint from a QC and an apology from the judge to jurors.

He also promised to prepare a written memo to the court on the “waste” of public money involved.

Days after the new arch went into operation the queues were back on Monday last week.

A spokesman for HMCS said that was “unfortunately due to the temporary absence of a member of the court security team” which meant the third arch could not be operational until 09.30. He said queues then diminished “and no court proceedings were held up.”

“We have received an assurance from the security contractor that it will address this incident as a matter of urgency and ensure full security officer cover is provided from the time the court opens in order to avoid delays in entering.”

But the queues were back again yesterday with some people having to wait 45 minutes to get into the building and the issue has also now been raised at Bradford Crown Court.

Stuart Brown QC, the barrister’s leader on the North Eastern Circuit, said he had heard many complaints about delays because there were queues sometimes reaching the Headrow.

The third arch had helped but there had to be better system, such as installing X-ray machines.

“We know there has to be security, but you don’t get this going into courts where terrorism trials are heard regularly,” he said.