Another Constable

The Brucie Bonus of all arrests! Warrants are the easiest files to prepare, and they’re a performance indicator for us too, so a nice easy tick. We have LOTS of outstanding warrants, some dating back many years, but more often than not, the people we’re locking up on warrants are recently issued ones. Sometimes, the suspect doesn’t even realise that they are wanted, which means that they will give you their correct details when you stop check them.

Unfortunately for most of our regular customers, they are easily recognisable, and we know them by name, so we don’t even have to ask their details to determine whether they are wanted or not, we already know!

You would be surprised how many people actually turn up at the front desk of a police station saying that they are wanted on a warrant and are handing themselves in. I suppose it negates the cat and mouse game for them and let’s them get back to a normal life without ducking and diving more quickly. I’ve had a few of these last category recently. So let’s have a look at what’s involved….

Usually the first step is to check that they are in fact wanted, so we take their details and ask them to have a seat (they are not likely to go running off seeing as they have presented themselves). I quick check on the PNC will show whether they are wanted and have been listed nationally. If they’ve only been wanted a very short time (i.e. they missed court that day and the warrant has just been issued) it might not be on the PNC yet so we will check with our local warrants bureau. Once it is determined that they are wanted on a warrant we need to caution them and tell them that they are under arrest. We then transport to custody and book them in. As you can see from the previous arrest dissection this will probably take a total of half an hour (unless it is the custody suite that they have presented themselves too - happened to me the other day) in which case you can halve that time.

Paperwork is a doddle. A quick statement needs typing to say they they presented themselves to you, were checked out and found to be wanted for failing to appear at such and such a court on this or thay day for an offence of whatever. Therefore cautioned arrested and lodged. It’s as simple as that for the statement, which of course needs typing up, printing out, signing, scanning back in and then attaching to the file (such is the mad system we have for ensuring the CPS will accept our statements - electronic signatures are not acceptable…). A file front sheet, and if they are a bit prolific in their failures to appear at court, an MG7 (remand application) to ask the courts not to give them bail this time as they obviously have problems turning up for court. For these cases where the offender presents themselves to police though, it’s hard to justofy an MG7 - they’re more for those people who know they are wanted and that we have to go out looking for and chasing. Finally a charge needs adding to the file (not appearing in court when on bail to do so being an offence in it’s own right which gets added to the already ongoing prosecution).

Job done in 45-50 minutes all being well. I like locking up on warrants and drink drivers… it’s a pity that (as previously mentioned in Sanction Detections) these are not recordable crimes, so there is no associated “detection” for my PI’s, but I’d like to think the arrests are enough. Let’s hope the bosses agree!