Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Scottish Courts suffer thefts of items under the nose of the law

Even the courts aren't exempt from thieves these days, or well, it has always been like that actually as we recall at Scottish Law Reporter ...

Whether it be staff, visitors, or people up on charges, there have been a few items going walkies from our courts ...

The Edinburgh News & BBC reports :

Thieves make off with court's computer

Thieves make off with court's computer

A COMPUTER and a date stamp were among the items stolen from Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year.

In total, there were 17 thefts from courts in the Lothian and Borders force area in 2006-7 and 18 the previous year.

Last year a computer was taken from the city's sheriff court, while in 2005-6 a DVD recorder and two flat screen monitors were smuggled out.

Also taken last year was the unusual souvenir of a date stamp with the Edinburgh Sheriff Court logo and date on it.

Thirteen of the thefts were solved in 2005-6 and six of them in 2006-7.

Thieves were not even afraid to target the High Court, which deals with the most serious crimes.

Seven items, including a mobile phone, passport and £425 in cash were stolen in 2005-6, with no-one caught, but there were no thefts the following year.

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) said that theft from court buildings was not thought to be a major problem, but courts could take advice on improving security.

A Scottish Court Service spokesperson said: "We take security within our premises very seriously and encourage all users to take responsibility for personal items brought into sheriff courts."

Court building thefts revealed

Thieves targeted Paisley Sheriff Court, among others

Cat food, an airline ticket and bread are among items stolen from courts in the Strathclyde area, it has emerged.

Thieves took 24 items over 2006-07, down from 30 during the previous year, according to figures obtained under freedom of information laws.

The Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland said courts could take advice on boosting security.

The Scottish Court Service said security within court buildings was taken "very seriously".

The items taken included clothes from Dumbarton Sheriff Court and cat food, slippers and bread from Kilmarnock.

Busy court

An airline ticket was taken from Paisley Sheriff Court, while mobile phones and cash were popular targets.

At the High Court in Glasgow nothing was stolen in the two year period.

Strathclyde Police said that Glasgow Sheriff Court, one of the courts in the force area, was regarded as the busiest in Britain, with more than 3,000 visitors a week.

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