Peterborough solicitor calls for action to protect court users during coronavirus pandemic

Andy Cave, former president of the Peterborough Law Society, said measures in place in courts across the country - including in Peterborough - were not good enough - and said he feared the system could grind to a halt if no action was taken.

Courts in Peterborough, including Crown, Magistrates’, County and Family courts, remain open, with a business as usual message.

The Criminal Bar Association has called for a temporary end to jury trials.

Mr Cave, a partner at Hunt and Coombs Solicitors based in Thorpe Road, Peterborough, said: “At the moment we have had no guidance from the courts. As of this morning I appeared in Leicester court in the morning and Luton in the afternoon.

“Sadly there seems to be little change. There is no Hand gels etc around the waiting areas. There are the usual cues through security to get in where people are congregating.

“In both buildings the toilets although having soap in dispensers, there was no hot water. The usual cold water running out of both taps.

“It is concerning for both professional court users and those that are required to attend.

“When juries of 12 start self - isolating I can only see it all grinding to a halt and sending a stretched and broken system already in to the complete unknown.”

Martin Bloom, Head of Employment Law at Hegarty Solictors, located on Broadway in Peterborough called for the use of technology to keep court users safe. He said: “As of today all courts and tribunals are open and working as normal, however the situation is developing rapidly and we are keeping track of information and new government advice as it is issued. Although courts are currently open, this may change and many hearings are being postponed due to witness and judge absences.

“At Hegarty Solicitors we have plans in place to utilise our technology infrastructure to enable us to continue to deliver our services. We are able to communicate with clients even if they are not able to visit our offices, for example we can offer video and telephone calls, rather than face to face meetings.

“This is an ideal opportunity for courts and businesses to utilise technology to ensure business continuity and the health and safety of staff and clients.”

The current advice from HM Courts & Tribunals Service is: “During the current phase of the coronavirus outbreak, the business of our courts and tribunals continues. Any changes to individual hearings will be communicated directly to those affected in the usual way, usually by email and/or phone.

“All court and tribunal users should read the latest information about prevention, treatment, travel and staying at home. These include but are not limited to witnesses, those attending for jury service, defendants, professional courts users and justice system partners.

“As long as you, or the people who are coming to court with you, do not have confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection or do not need to self-isolate in line with NHS advice, you should continue to use courts and tribunals as usual. This includes those attending for jury service.

“However, if you, or the people who are coming to court with you, do have confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection or need to self-isolate in line with NHS advice, you should contact the court or tribunal in which the hearing is due to take place.

“Jury service is one of the most important civic duties a citizen can undertake and is an essential part of the criminal justice system. If you are serving on a jury now, your jury service will continue as normal and you are expected to attend court unless you have a reason not to (for example you have symptoms or need to self isolate). If you’re due to do Jury Service in future, or if you have started your jury service already but have not yet been selected for a trial, we will keep in touch with you and let you know what’s expected. We’re carefully following Government advice and keeping the situation under constant review.

“If you are currently serving on a jury, you will be expected to attend as normal, unless:

You have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), or have been diagnosed with a coronavirus (COVID-19) infection

Official Government advice says you need to self-isolate

You are over 70 years of age, have a weakened immune system, an underlying health condition, or are pregnant

There is another reason why you cannot attend.

“Our buildings are cleaned every day and we’ll also respond swiftly to complaints about poor hygiene. If you see something of concern, please let the local team know so they can put things right.

“We know how important it is for all court users – professional and public – to have confidence that they are using a building that is clean and safe. NHS advice is for people to wash their hands with soap and water, which is available in all courts and tribunals. Given the importance of handwashing at the moment, our cleaners will give extra attention to checking bathrooms and handwashing facilities.

“We recently changed our security policy to allow people to also bring hand sanitiser into our buildings - our security officers will ask you to use it to prove it’s not harmful.

“Court security officers may ask you to move items inside your own bag or ask if they can do this themselves. You can ask them not to touch your belongings, and move them yourself, if you prefer.

“Court security officers sometimes use a handheld scanner to search people coming to court, but neither this or the officer will touch you.

“The guidance for court security officers is the same as for the general public, which is that best protection – for themselves and others – is to wash hands regularly with soap and water. We want to be responsible in making sure that, given the shortage of hand sanitiser, we do not introduce its use where it is not necessary in a way which might reduce the supply where it is essential.

“We will continue to monitor and review the practice of court security officers in line with government advice and industry best practice.”

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