HC Deb 09 February 1999 vol 325 cc125-6W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the procedure for the review of an outstanding warrant of arrest issued by the RUC; how frequently an outstanding warrant is reviewed; and in what circumstances and by what criteria an outstanding warrant could be set aside. [69881]

Mr. Ingram

[holding answer 8 February 1999]: There are various types of arrest warrant:

  1. 1. Bench/arrest warrant
  2. 2. Committal warrant
  3. 3. Distress warrant
  4. 4. Extradition warrant
  5. 5. Enforcement of Justice warrant.

Different procedural arrangements for review apply to each. However, it should be noted that, generally, warrants issued under the appropriate legislation are returned if not executed, within the time specified therein.

Data held by central statistics unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Court statistics
CS Reference Number Crime statistics Ref No—Unique number created by the system to identify each court record
Year The year in which the case went to court
Court Code The location of the court in which the case was heard, i.e. Bangor or Belfast etc.
Bill No. Court Service reference number.
Court Date The date on which the case was held.
Sex Male, Female or other (businesses etc.)
DOB The offenders date of birth.
Age Age of offender—generated by the computer.
Occupation The occupation of the accused, this only applies to members of the security forces, i.e. police, army or prison officer.
Ethnicity The ethnic origins of the accused.
FCN Force computer number—criminal record number issued to the defendant.
Offence Date Date on which the offence occurred.
Sub Division The radio call sign of the Sub-Divisional headquarters where the offence took place.
Previous Convictions State if the defendant has any previous convictions.
TIC The number of offences taken into consideration.
Scheduled States whether the offence is scheduled or non scheduled. Scheduled offences are heard in crown courts and are of a more serious nature, i.e. terrorist or other serious crimes.
Additional As the system can only hold seven offences, any additional charges are noted here.
Plea Guilty or Not Guilty.
Prefix States if the offences was attempted, siding and abetting, conspiring or inciting.
Offence Code Numeric code of each offence.
Suffix States if the offence was armed robbery or aggravated burglary.
Finding Decision of the court—guilty, not guilty or sent to trial.
Type of Offence States if the offence is primary or secondary and also if it is indictable/summary/motoring.
Disposal Numeric code to identify the sentence.
Unit Specifies if the penalty is monetary or of time duration.
Amount or duration States the amount of the fine or the duration of the sentence.

If a time limit is not specified the unexecuted warrant is returned to a court or issuing Justice at the end of twelve months for cancellation or re-issue.

Generally, warrants are not executed after a lapse of two years without instruction from the issuing authority in cases:

  1. (a) to enforce appearance at Magistrates' Courts; and
  2. (b) to arrest for trivial offences.

Except in cases of a serious crime or where delay in execution may result in the escape of the accused, a warrant which has been on issue for more than four years is not executed without instructions from the issuing authority.

The setting aside of an outstanding warrant is a matter for the issuing authority.