Door policy for entering courts ‘not routine’, says HMCTS

Courts bosses have denied introducing a policy of checking journalists as they enter buildings, despite incidents this week. Instead HM Courts & Tribunals Service insists that staff are trying to regulate numbers to prevent overcrowding.

The issue arose on Monday when Evening Standard courts reporter Tristan Kirk reported that it seemed to be a condition of entry for journalists at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court for their names to be recorded on a list.

His experience was repeated the following day at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, when a Gazette reporter was met at the door by HMCTS staff asking why they were there and which case they wanted to observe.

Kirk said: ‘It’s a troubling door policy, which seems to be aimed at discouraging people from entering the court building.’ He claimed to have been asked to show a journalist’s pass and to give his details to a member of the security team. 

HMCTS said that names were taken from the media at Wimbledon to monitor capacity, as considerable interest was expected in a hearing that day (the rapper Dizzee Rascal was appearing to face a charge of assault).

The organisation said this was not normal practice, but occasionally needed for certain cases to help manage seating.

On the subject of checking court visitors at the door, HMCTS told the Gazette: ‘We can confirm this is not routine but simply one measure staff may introduce to control capacity during potentially busy periods. This can include monitoring which hearings people are attending so we can direct you to the right place or advise if [there are] any issues, for example with managing seating in the courtroom.’

Some of the extra questions asked of court users appear to be a hangover from the pandemic, when numbers were limited and social distancing was in force, but those requirements are no longer in place in line with the government’s ‘living with Covid’ strategy.

Justice minister James Cartlidge, in a written answer to parliament last week, said the government guidance still recommended wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially when you come into contact with different people.

He added: ‘We expect to be able to confirm what (if any) other measures will remain beyond April, which is when existing government guidance on workplace/venue safety will be replaced.’

This article is now closed for comment.