free web stats

Southport Reporter - You local online newspaper for Merseyside and the Liverpool City Region.

   
  .Sign up to get our FREE email news bulletins.  

   

News Report Page 3 of 18
Publication Date:-
2021-03-21
 
News reports located on this page = 2.

'Nightingale Court' opens in Liverpool

LIVERPOOL Hilton City Centre Hotel will open its doors as a:- 'Nightingale Court' this week, joining the national effort to tackle the impact of Coronavirus on the criminal justice system. Located in the heart of the City, the new site will help to free up space at the nearby Crown Court for more jury trials by providing an additional Courtroom that will host non-custodial criminal cases such as fines and community service orders. The room has been re-configured from its original use as a business conference room.

The building dates back to the 19th Century and is the 3rd Hilton to be transformed into a Temporary Court, joining venues in York and Manchester. The move will help to reduce delays and deliver speedier justice for people across Liverpool and Merseyside, while allowing the hotel to take staff off the furlough scheme.

Courts Minister, Lord Wolfson QC, said:- "We are determined to deliver swifter justice for people across Liverpool and this new Nightingale Court will boost those efforts. This is part of our action to tackle the impact of the Pandemic on our Courts and reduce delays for victims. As a result, outstanding cases in the magistrates' are falling and the number of trials being listed in the Crown Court increases each week."

A spokesperson for Hilton Liverpool City Centre said:- "We are pleased that Hilton Liverpool City Centre will be working with HM Courts and Tribunals Service to provide additional space for Court proceedings in the coming weeks. Stringent measures will be in place to protect the health and wellbeing of attendees and our team members. This includes socially distanced layouts and enhanced cleanliness protocols such as room seals, regular disinfection of high touch areas and sanitising stations in public areas and meeting rooms."

The move forms part of a ₤113m investment to alleviate pressures on Courts and tribunals, including recruiting 1,600 extra staff, further technology, and on site safety precautions, such as plexiglass screens. This is on top of the ₤142m being spent to speed up technological improvements and modernise Courtrooms. The impact of these measures is already being seen:-

England and Wales is believed to be the 1st comparable major jurisdiction in the world to resume jury trials, with hundreds now being listed each week.

Outstanding cases in the magistrates' Courts have fallen by around 50,000 since the peak last summer.

While the number of disposals continues to be just under pre-Covid levels, the Crown Court continues to see an increase in the number of trials listed.

More than 20,000 hearings using remote technology are taking place each week; compared to around 550, in March 2020; a 4,000% rise.

The decision to keep Courts and tribunals open during the Pandemic has had a tangible impact on people's lives. Over 9,000 Court orders were issued to protect children from female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and domestic abuse between April and September 2020.

Meanwhile, a major ₤40m investment announced last month will go towards specialist help for vulnerable victims:- funding helplines and the recruitment of more Counsellors. This comes as an extra ₤337m was confirmed in the recent Spending Review to deliver swifter justice and support victims in 2021/22, while ₤76m will further increase capacity in family Courts and tribunals.
 


Serious violence reduction orders to be piloted in 4 Police Forces

NEW Court orders to boost efforts to crack down on knife crime will be piloted in 4 Police forces, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced. The 4 forces; Thames Valley, West Midlands, Merseyside and Sussex; will trial the introduction of Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs), which give the Police new stop and search powers to target convicted knife and offensive weapons offenders. The orders are designed to ensure convicted offenders are steered away from crime and, if they persist in carrying a knife or an offensive weapon, that they are more likely to be caught and put in prison. They will also help protect vulnerable offenders from being drawn into further exploitation by criminal gangs, by acting as a deterrent to any further weapons carrying. Targeted use of stop and search, as part of a wider approach to intervene and support offenders, will help to safeguard those communities most at risk. The pilot will test how well the orders deter violent offenders from carrying weapons, before a decision is made on national roll out.

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said:- "We are absolutely committed to cutting crime, getting knives off our streets and putting violent criminals behind bars. The public want criminals who continue to carry knives and other deadly weapons, even after they have been caught before, to be stopped in their tracks. These orders give Police the power to do just that and protect communities from harm."

Chief Constable of Sussex Police, Jo Shiner said:- "We are committed to keeping our communities safe, and Serious Violence Reduction Orders will build on the extensive work we already do in Sussex to tackle knife crime and serious violence. Knives and other offensive weapons have no place on our streets. We welcome this pilot and the additional powers it will give our Officers in helping identify and deal with those who persist in carrying dangerous weapons."

Deputy Chief Constable Jason Hogg of Thames Valley Police, said:- "Tackling serious violence and particularly knife crime is a priority for the force. We welcome the opportunity to trial these new powers as they are developed and to contribute to national methods of policing and criminal justice outcomes. The new powers will enable more robust interventions with what remains a relatively small number of offenders, creating a focused deterrent to prevent reoffending and will help us support those most vulnerable. Through this, we will keep the pressure on those who are involved in the most serious violent crime and ultimately keep our communities safe, right across the Thames Valley. Our involvement in this pilot contributes to our range of activity already underway, both through our local policing operations and that of the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, all focused on tackling serious violence and its root causes."

Assistant Chief Constable Jon Roy of Merseyside Police, said:- "Merseyside Police are pleased to be selected as 1 of the four Police forces piloting the Serious Violence Reduction Orders programme. We are dedicated to tackling serious violence in all of its forms, as well as bringing offenders to justice and protecting all those living, working and visiting Merseyside. We're also committed to offering alternatives to prosecution and working closely with offenders and their families to address their needs and helping them break the cycle of reoffending. It is welcoming to see that these orders will enhance our powers to target known and prolific knife crime offenders and those insistent on carrying dangerous weapons as well as reducing serious violence and ultimately saving lives."

Chief Constable Sir David Thompson of West Midlands Police, said:- "We welcome this Home Office pilot on Serious Violence Reduction Orders as part of a wider public health approach for reducing violence in the West Midlands. The orders will enable us to target those already convicted of certain knife offences, giving us the automatic right to search those who pose the greatest risk. It is crucial that these orders are Policed fairly and effectively and that scrutiny is in place to ensure that happens. We also recognise search should be only 1 tool in changing the behaviour of those subject to the orders. Our work as part of the Violence Reduction Unit will also continue, alongside partner agencies, to reduce violence by preventing problems at the earliest possible stage through a wide range of activities."

The introduction of SVROs follows a public consultation, which was published on 9 March 2021. Courts will be able to make an SVRO when someone is convicted of an offence involving a knife or offensive weapon. Police Officers will have the power to stop and search a person subject to an order to look for knives or offensive weapons. They will apply to those aged 18 and over. The Government is clear that stop and search is a vital tool for tackling violence and saving lives. In 2020, it helped remove 11,000 dangerous weapons from our streets and with every weapon seized, a potential life is saved. SVROs are part of a major criminal justice Bill which the Government introduced to Parliament last week.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill seeks to equip the Police with the powers and tools they need to protect themselves and the public, while overhauling sentencing laws to keep serious sexual and violent offenders behind bars for longer and placing greater emphasis on rehabilitation to better help offenders to turn their lives around.

SVROs are 1 of the measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill introduced to Parliament on 9 March. More information on the Bill here. The Government response to the consultation was published on 9 March 2021, here.
 

 
      
 
   
 
 
News Report Audio Copy
 
  

Monthly Sponsor:- Holistic Realignment
Monthly sponsor:- Holistic Realignment - Your local, fully qualified sports therapist. Call now on:- 07870382109 to book an appointment.
Your local, fully qualified sports therapist. Call now on:- 07870382109 to book an appointment.

 

 

Please support local businesses like:-
The Kings Plaice 

Our live webcams...

This is a live image that reloads every 30 seconds.

An Image from our Southport Webcam above. To see it live, please click on image.


See the view live webcamera images of the road outside our studio/newsroom in the hart of Southport.

An Image from our Southport Webcam above. To see it live, please click on image.

 

Please support local businesses like:-

 


Click on to find out why the moon changes phases.  
This is the current phase of the moon. For more lunar related information, please click on here.

Disability Confident - Committed

 

Find out whats on in and around Merseyside!



This is just 1 of the events on our event calendar, click on
here to see lots more!

This online newspaper and information service is regulated by IMPRESS, the UK Press Regulator.

This online newspaper and information service is regulated by IMPRESS the independent monitor for the UK's press.

This is our process:-
Complaints
Policy - Complaints Procedure - Whistle Blowing Policy

Contact us:-

(+44)
  08443244195

Calls will cost 7p per minute, plus your telephone company's access charge.
Calls to this number may be recorded for security, broadcast, training and record keeping.

Click on to see our Twitter Feed.   Click on to see our Facebook Page.   This website is licence to carry news from Vamphire.com and UK Press Photography. Click on to see our Twitter Feed.


Our News Room Office Address

Southport and Mersey Reporter, 4a Post Office Ave,
Southport, Merseyside, PR9 0US, UK

 
 
Tracking & Cookie Usage Policy - Terms & Conditions
 
 
  - Southport Reporter® is the Registered Trade Mark of Patrick Trollope.