Westfield justice "not likely to go anywhere", admit JPs
The proposal to set up courts in shopping centres was just a stunt, the deputy chairman of the Magistrates Association has admitted.
The proposal to set up courts in shopping centres was just a stunt, the deputy chairman of the Magistrates Association has admitted.
Yesterday's newspapers splashed calls from the association for disused spaces in shopping centres such as London's Westfield to be used as pop-up courts in the wake of the planned closure of up to 157 magistrates' and county courts.
John Howson, the association's deputy chairman, told The Guardian: 'Justice should not be hidden away and people should be able to see it in operation. We could have a court in the Westfield shopping centre for instance, so that instead of a shoplifter being taken to a police station and it taking hours to build a file, even if they are going to plead guilty, they could be dealt with far more quickly.'
The idea had been mooted several times before at committee meetings and by the chairman himself according to the association, which represents 28,000 members
But today Howson told Solicitors Journal: 'It's not likely to go anywhere, probably. But it is the sort of thing that the papers like at this time of year, it makes them appear interested in the issue. And let's face it, we got some pretty good PR out of it.'
His statement was originally intended to raise the profile of the association's disapproval of the Ministry of Justice's handling of the court closure debate, which Howson believes is too single-minded.
The association is concerned that shutting courts will create huge disruption for staff, defendants and witnesses who will be required to spend more time and will face greater cost getting to far-flung courts.
'They offer no alternative suggestions apart from opening larger courts,' Howson explained. 'We want them to realise there might be another way.
'Petty offenders commit crimes that should be dealt with as quickly as possible and as locally as possible.
'Do we want large, remote crime factories or something smaller, which may not always be open from nine to five?'
'You need to actually discuss what is the purpose of summary justice in this country and how it should operate and then how should we do that in the most cost efficient way.'
A statement from the MoJ said it was in favour of moving more work to newer facilities and that the Victorian courthouses scattered across the country are 'not designed with the needs of the modern courthouse users in mind'.