Security checks delaying the course of justice

Judge Phillip Statman is a man prepared to speak his mind. Last year he expressed his frustration at the backlog of between 700 and 800 cases awaiting trial at Maidstone Crown Court, saying it placed unacceptable delays on those seeking justice.

There was a tangible reason then: Maidstone was short of two judges.

This week he is frustrated over a more practical matter – the time it takes those visiting court to get through the security checks.

He said the long queues were delaying the start of some trials by as much 30 minutes.

Currently, all visitors to the courts, be they lawyers, defendants, jurors or members of the public, have to pass through the same door and be subject to the same pat-down.

Judge Statman said he would be seeking a solution with the presiding judge for the South Eastern Circuit, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith.

It is a sad reflection indeed that we have to subject ourselves to such vigorous security checks these days.

It’s not just a terrorism thing. Obviously in a court, you don’t want a defendant taking issue with the judge’s verdict and suddenly producing a knife.

Nor can the court staff easily be excluded from the delays. A security check that just nods some people through is no check at all.

We fear the judge will find that the only solution will be for the government to lay on more security arches and employ more guards.

In the current climate of cutbacks, we wish the judge good luck with that.