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| The Grand Hall at the Old Bailey in London. Photograph: Graeme Robertson |
An astonishing arsenal of 15,429 knives, guns and other potential
weapons has been seized by security staff in crown and magistrates
courts in England and Wales in just over two years, the government has
revealed.
The total includes 31 firearms or replicas and nearly 5,400 knives as well as items such as syringes, tools, umbrellas and aerosols, a list officials say is not exhaustive.
Confiscations in the year ended in March were more than twice as high as for the 14 months before. Magistrates said the figures reinforced the need for solid security arrangements and they would take up the issue with the government.
Sadiq Khan, shadow justice secretary, who obtained the figures via a parliamentary question, said: “It is staggering that the number of offensive weapons in our courts has doubled in just one year. Under David Cameron our justice system is in crisis, and is increasingly violent and dangerous for staff and court users alike. Much more needs to be done to stop weapons being brought into our courts as well as protecting our hard working staff.”
The figures were given in a written parliamentary answer which showed 705 knives were seized at crown courts and a further 3,108 at magistrates courts in the financial year 2013/14. The comparable figure for the previous 14 months were 322 and 1,252. When it came to firearms or replicas, seven were seized at crown courts and 24 at magistrates courts in 2013-14.
The total includes 31 firearms or replicas and nearly 5,400 knives as well as items such as syringes, tools, umbrellas and aerosols, a list officials say is not exhaustive.
Confiscations in the year ended in March were more than twice as high as for the 14 months before. Magistrates said the figures reinforced the need for solid security arrangements and they would take up the issue with the government.
Sadiq Khan, shadow justice secretary, who obtained the figures via a parliamentary question, said: “It is staggering that the number of offensive weapons in our courts has doubled in just one year. Under David Cameron our justice system is in crisis, and is increasingly violent and dangerous for staff and court users alike. Much more needs to be done to stop weapons being brought into our courts as well as protecting our hard working staff.”
The figures were given in a written parliamentary answer which showed 705 knives were seized at crown courts and a further 3,108 at magistrates courts in the financial year 2013/14. The comparable figure for the previous 14 months were 322 and 1,252. When it came to firearms or replicas, seven were seized at crown courts and 24 at magistrates courts in 2013-14.
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