John Austin

Labour Party | Erith and Thamesmead

MPs VISIT MAGISTRATES COURT

John Austin MP for Erith & Thamesmead attended the Bexley Magistrates’ Court Open Day on Saturday morning (10 May). He joined Bexleyheath & Crayford MP, David Evennett MP and the Mayor of Bexley, Cllr Nigel Betts on a tour of the building guided by David Ely, Chairman of the Bexley Bench and Eleanor Way who had organised the event.
John Austin said: “It was a well organised event which gave MPs and the public the chance to meet the various agencies involved in the Criminal Justice System, including police, prosecutors, defence lawyers, probation, the youth offending team and victim support.
John Austin congratulated the organisers on an informative and interesting event and added:  “I was pleased to learn of the measures that had been taken to speed up the judicial process and also pleased by the close co-operation of the Police and Crown Prosecution Service”. A few years ago, John Austin had raised the problems of lack of co-operative working between the Police and CPS when responsibility transferred from the City office of the CPS to Croydon.  He had made representations to the Solicitor General at the time to transfer the responsibility back to the City as travel of staff between Bexleyheath and the City was much easier than to Croydon.  He had also pressed the Lord Chancellor to implement reforms to co-locate staff at the Police Station.
John Austin said: “I was very pleased to meet with CPS staff and to find that they now had a base in Bexleyheath Police Station and that the system was working very well and I took the opportunity on Monday morning to visit them at the Police Station to see them at work.”
John also talked to the Police and the CPS about the possibility of using video-links and a virtual court to speed up the judicial process.  A pilot had been running in Camberwell.  The Borough Commander is keen to see a scheme introduced in Bexleyheath and John Austin will be writing to the Minister to see if Bexley could be one of the first schemes to be rolled out.