More than 20,000 suspects are wanted by police after they failed to appear in court, the highest number in nine years, according to statistics. Magistrates issued 21,248 warrants for suspects who failed to appear between June and September, a 15 per cent increase on the same period last year out of which 416 warrants were related to murder, rape, robbery and serious assault.
The number of warrants issued for suspects who failed to appear had fallen from 92,000 in 2010 to a total of 70,000 last year. However, the recent steep increase has brought the highest number of warrants issued in a single quarter since the same period in 2011.
The authorities attributed the rise in part to the pandemic, saying that increased numbers of defendants were self-isolating but failing to inform the courts. Police forces are also charging more suspects by post because changes to bail law mean that suspects are no longer required to check in at police stations while they are under investigation. The change has raised concerns that some court summonses may not be reaching suspects.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Justice, 48 per cent of warrants for suspects who failed to appear in court in the 12 months to September were related to cases that had been initiated by postal charge.
The Labour Party said that the result of suspects failing to appear in court was that justice was being denied to victims and offenders are roaming free in the community. Peter Kyle, the Labour MP for Hove and shadow minister for victims and youth justice, said, “Victims deserve their day in court. “Yet now we find out that over 20,000 alleged offenders are failing to show up, with government doing little to stop victims being threatened in their local community.”
Due to the pandemic by September there were 50,918 cases outstanding at crown courts, according to the Ministry of Justice’s data, an increase of 44 per cent on the previous year. There were 412,093
outstanding magistrates’ court cases, which was 43 per cent higher than in the same quarter last year
