Magistrates told to get tough on crime (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Magistrates told to get tough on crime

CIRENCESTER magistrates are being told to toughen up and come down harder on criminals.

The message comes from Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who says too many criminals are being allowed out on bail to reoffend.

And his views were echoed by a member of the public at a consultative meeting with the police in Cirencester last week.

The man, who didn't wish to be named, said: "I feel the whole system fails when it goes to court. The court system actively encourages the offenders who are going around committing the crime.

"They should come down hard on them the first time they are in court."

Police have been targeting known local faces in a bid to clamp down on thefts and drug-related crime in the area.

But, although they have been making arrests and pressing charges, repeat offenders have been committing further crimes after being released back into the community on bail by local magistrates.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC has adopted a harder line since taking over at Gloucester Crown Court earlier this year.

And Mr Clifton-Brown is urging local magistrates to follow suit.

He has been corresponding with the Gloucestershire Magistrates' Courts Committee (GMCC), which oversees county magistrates courts.

He said: "There are far too many people in the criminal justice system who are finding excuses for the criminals.

"The system should work firstly, in favour of society, secondly, in favour of the victim, and very much a long way third is the criminal.

"Circumstantial evidence would point to the fact they're (magistrates) not being tough enough."

Notorious local criminals Casey Goble and Jason Stratford were jailed during the summer after repeatedly offending whilst out on bail.

Prolific burglar Goble was jailed for four years after committing a string of crimes to feed his drug addiction.

Fellow junkie Stratford was also put behind bars after continuing to steal. Final sentencing in both cases was dealt with by Gloucester Crown Court, but both had previously been released by Cirencester magistrates while waiting for their cases to be dealt with.

Mr Clifton-Brown added: "Where there is a repeat offence, there should be a very good reason why they (criminal) should not be remanded in custody.

"We've got to take a much tougher approach."

Despite the criticism, Alan Davies, who is justices' chief executive for the GMCC, says courts have actually been harsher on offenders over the last 10 years.

And he says the fact it is not recognised is down to a public perception problem.

He said: "We always follow national guidelines. Because of changes in legislation decided on by politicians there has been an increase in terms of sentencing options.

"There will always be individual decisions taken that may appear to the public to be fairly peculiar but they will have been made following the guidelines and based on the information from the defence and the prosecution.

"If the prosecution don't put together a strong enough case for the magistrates not to consider bail and the police don't object in court, the magistrates have to consider bail."

Mr Davies added that ways of improving the public perception and the handling of bail hearings would be looked at in the near future.