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Harborough MP welcomes High Sheriff's visit to Market Harborough magistrates' court

July 20 2009

Harborough MP and Shadow Justice Minister Edward Garnier has said today that he is delighted that Maurice Thompson, this year's High Sheriff of Leicestershire, and his wife Vivien, are to visit Market Harborough Court on Thursday 23 July.

"It is very exciting that the High Sheriff is going to the local court. It is a vital part of our criminal justice system in and around Market Harborough and is the only way that justice is done and seen to be done by local people for local people and to local people. The link between the court, the magistrates, the defendants and the witnesses, be they police officers or civilians, is essential for public confidence in the maintenance of our justice system. If this court were to be closed it would drive a stake through the heart of the community and take away a vital part of its life.

"Both as the MP for the area and as the Shadow Justice Minister I will do all that I can to ensure that Mr Thompson's visit, which I applaud, is not the last High Sheriff's visit to the court. Unfortunately this Government has a habit of closing rural market town courts because they prefer everything to be centralised into the big cities where they can control things more tightly. They have also starved the courts of work by giving the police the power to issue fixed penalty notices for even quite serious offences such as assault and retail theft. The Government then say the magistrates' courts are doing less work so we can close them down. Criminal justice should be done in public in the courts, not on the street corner or in the police station with the handing out of a ticket."