§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many assaults there have been on(a) justices of the peace, (b) district judges, (c) district judges (magistrates courts), (d) circuit judges, (e) Crown Court judges, (f) High Court judges and (g) court staff in England and Wales whilst sitting or working in court or during private room appointments in each of the last five years for which records are available. [74960]
§ Yvette CooperReliable central records of security incidents have only been collected since April 2001, primarily as a result of strengthening procedures in the wake of the attack on Judge Ann Goddard at the Central Criminal Court in January 2001.
Of the incidents reported since then, 9 have involved courtroom/chambers assaults on the categories of personnel listed, broken down as follows:
- JPs/District Judges (magistrates courts)—2
- District Judges—1
- High Court judge—1 (Bankruptcy Registrar)
- Staff—5
There have been no reported assaults on circuit judges or Crown Court judges over this period.
The Lord Chancellor's Department takes extremely seriously any assault on those working in the courts. A major programme of security improvements to district judge chambers and an ongoing programme to install more secure docks into a number of criminal courtrooms have increased the security for those working in the courts. Further improvements to court security are being developed.
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