Police workload eased by change in crime law

(CNS): A small change to the criminal procedure code will free up police officers to concentrate on fighting crime by allowing court bailiffs and other public servants to serve witness summons for court cases. Before the amendment made by the Legislative Assembly on Friday, police officers were the only officials who could deliver summons to witnesses but a senior officer had recently stated that it was not a job that needed to be carried out by the police and, given the numbers of summons, it was becoming increasingly burdensome for the RCIPS.

Police officers will still be the only people who can issue warrants but when it comes to calling on witnesses to come to court, Attorney General Samuel Bulgin, who presented the amendment to the parliament, said the task could now be undertaken by others, freeing the police to “to focus on their primary policing duties”.

Speaking at a press briefing in July, Deputy Police Commissioner Kurt Walton said there were many jobs that had been handed to police over the years that did not really require a law enforcement official and could be carried out by other government departments or outsourced. He said this would reduce the strain on police resources for the front-line crime fight and allow the management to deploy more officers on the streets.

The RCIPS is still battling with over 1,000 outstanding warrants, which must be handled by police, but Walton stated at the press briefing that he had at least four officers dedicated purely to rounding up witnesses. Removing the need for police to deliver witness summons each day for court cases, ranging from serious criminal cases to traffic offences, was one area where the government could help reduce the burden.

Once the new amendment is completely steered through the administrative stages and signed off by the governor, the clerk of the court will be able to designate staff to deal with the witness summons. The law also provides for email summons to go to government witnesses from immigration, customs, environment or other departments that are often needed to give evidence for the prosecution.