No hiding place for ‘bail bandits’

DEFENDANTS who skip bail and fail to appear in court are to face a crackdown this week across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Magistrates Courts and Hampshire Constabulary have joined forces for "Operation Turn-Up", a nationwide crackdown to bring those who skip bail to justice.  The fines blitz is being spearheaded by 10 teams of court enforcement officers (CEO) backed up by police. Officers will appear at defendants' homes, work places or wherever they may be and bring them back to court to face justice. Posters are already warning those who fail to appear (FTA) of the crackdown and asking them to surrender of their own accord. There are currently approximately 900 outstanding warrants across the two counties. Over the last few weeks in the run up to the operation, the police and the courts have worked hard to withdraw any warrants that are no longer actionable for various reasons. Chief inspector Paul Bright said: "We will not tolerate those who skip bail and fail to appear at court. My message today is that we will track you down to face justice and my advice to those who have skipped bail is to surrender now rather than wait for us to come and get you. "Defendants skipping bail disrupts the course of justice, causes delays in the court process and inconveniences victims and witnesses. "This operation will reduce the number of outstanding warrants in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, help bring more offenders to justice and increase public confidence in the system." The head of administrative services, HMCS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Magistrates Courts, John Gledhill said: "Compliance with court orders is not optional. "Offenders appearing in court when they are ordered to is not only part of the criminal process system but also vital if the courts are to be respected. "We will also be putting in place robust checking systems to ensure FTA warrants are executed expeditiously in the future. "We want to send a clear message to anyone who is considering skipping bail to think twice – we and the police will ensure the justice system works and we will find you. "This is not just a short-term focus, the message is clear – defendants skipping bail will be dealt with robustly and immediately."