Lack of police escorts delay courts sessions

Court cases are being delayed due to lack of police officers assigned to escort the accused from the court lock up to the halls, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli argued this morning.

Magistrate Demicoli voiced her concerns after two cases scheduled for 9am had not commenced by 11am as there were no officers available to escort the accused.

Whenever an accused is detained in prison, the person is taken to the court lock-up inside a prison van at around 8:30 am. When the case is called, the accused is then escorted to the relevant court hall by police officers.

However, the shortage of police officers performing escorting duties is resulting in cases running late because detainees cannot be escorted to the courtrooms.

The Magistrate added that this is neither fair on the accused nor is it the correct way of carrying out proceedings. The magistrate said that since the first cases started an hour and a half late all other cases scheduled for the day were postponed. Cases scheduled for 11am and 11:30 am had to be moved to the afternoon.

The Magistrate ordered that home affairs minister Manuel Mallia, parliamentary secretary for justice Owen Bonnici and the Director of Prisons are informed of these occurrences, which are increasing in regularity.