According to official plans by Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) Olympic Planning Group, London’s crown courts near key venues and travel hotspots will stop sitting altogether or offer a reduced service during the Olympic Games due to concerns of travel chaos for witnesses and jurors getting to and from the courts.
Of the total of 138 courtrooms across London’s 11 crown courts, only up to 75 will be sitting during the 17 days of the Olympics.
The plan will affect magistrates’ courts, which deal with high number of suspects on a daily basis, as well as courts including Southwark, near the London Bridge Tube Station, Snaresbrook, three miles from the Olympic Park in east London, Woolwich, nine miles away, and the Old Bailey in central London.
“The HMCTS Olympics Planning Group is still in the process of considering and agreeing with partner agencies what contingency plans need to be put in place in the event that there is a higher level of crime than expected,” a spokesman for HMCTS said.
A spokesman for the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, said, “Whilst adjustments to some public services will inevitably be made during the Olympic Games, it is essential the justice system continues to operate smoothly and efficiently, in courts around the capital, as a priority.”
SSM/MA/HE
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