Attorney General visits Greater Manchester

Date published: 09/02/2006

The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, will visit Minshull Street Crown Court on 10 February 10 to meet staff from across the Greater Manchester criminal justice system who have helped pilot a scheme to get more offenders to attend court.

The scheme, piloted across the county in the past four months, involves improving the way in which fail to appear warrants and other court orders are executed in order to tackle so-called 'bail bandits'.  It streamlines the way in which the police, Crown Prosecution Service and courts share information and handle warrants and offenders wanted in relation to multiple offences and is showing early signs of success.

Once the pilot is complete and fully evaluated, consideration will be given to its introduction in other parts of the country.

"We hope that this new approach will help us to build on our already considerable successes in bringing offenders to justice," said GMP Assistant Chief Constable Rob Taylor, who will meet the Attorney General along with Richard Knott, Area Director of Her Majesty's Court Service Greater Manchester.  "The visit will give the Attorney General a great opportunity to meet the front-line staff who have worked so hard to implement this initiative."

Crimes committed in Greater Manchester are being brought to justice at their fastest rate in over three years, according to latest figures from the Office of Criminal Justice Reform. More than 192 offences are brought to justice every single day in Greater Manchester; that is 70,236 crimes per year (year ending September 2005) .  This is an improvement from 150 crimes being brought to justice per day two years ago.