Minister confirms plans for 24-hour courts to condemn rioters | Politics | News | EUROtoday

A senior Home Office minister this morning confirmed experiences that Britain’s courts could also be made to sit down for 24-hours-a-day so as to swiftly course of and convict rioting thugs.

Dame Diana Johnson advised Sky News this morning that the Government is set to assist the police and be certain that these terrorising the streets are arrested and “brought to book”.

The minister mentioned there can be “consequences for people who are marauding in our streets, the thugs that are attacking our police and they will be held to account”.

Pressed on the specifics of 24-hour courts, Ms Johnson mentioned that the Prime Minister has been “very clear” they’ll do “whatever it takes to make sure people can get through the court system”.

“We’ve already got people arrested and remanded into custody, it’s very clear we want to send that message to people: If you engage in this type of criminal thuggery on our streets, you will be held to account.

“You will go through the system, and that could include imprisonment or banning orders.”

She confirmed that, if vital, courts will sit all through the night time so as to deal out justice.

Ms Johnson pointed to Sir Keir Starmer’s time as Director of Public Prosecutions the final time there have been riots in Britain in 2011.

She famous that in his oversight of these authorized proceedings, courts did sit all through the night time.

Ms Johnson mentioned: “The PM is very well-versed, alongside the Lord Chancellor, in making sure we have available what’s needed”.

In 2011, the then-DPP mentioned in an interview that he was not persuaded that the sentences in and of themselves had been “the real issue”.

He argued: “For me it was the speed [of processing cases] that I think may have played some small part in bringing the situation back under control”.

“I don’t think [rioters] would have thought: ‘Oh well, am I going to get 12 months or 18 months?’ I don’t think people gamble on the length of sentence, particularly.

“They gamble on: ‘Am I going to get caught? Am I going to get sentenced and sent to prison?’ And if the answer is: ‘I’m now watching on the television some other people who had been caught 24 hours or 48 hours after they were on the streets with us’

“I think that’s a very powerful message.”

Dame Diana Johnson insisted there may be enough room within the prisons system for any convicted rioters, regardless of the Government not too long ago saying mass-early releases in response to a capability disaster.

Dame Diana mentioned: “There are places available. The Lord Chancellor met with the PM, Home Secretary and myself this week, and reassured us that there was that capacity available in the prison estate”.

She added that the police had not requested any help from the military, and that they’ve the sources and powers to take care of the civil unrest.