As part of my plan to visit each of the many courts which operate across the County of the West Midlands, I had a very interesting day at the Dudley Magistrates Court, where I was kindly hosted by the Black County Bench Chair, Sheila Dawson.
There were 2 Courts operating during the day, hearing a wide variety of criminal cases and it was encouraging to note that many of these cases were in respect of incidents that had occurred very recently – and thus significant delays were being avoided in listing.
I had the pleasure of meeting 5 of the Magistrates who operate out of Dudley, all of whom have been acting in this vital voluntary role for a number of years. I also spoke to a number of staff from HMCTS as well as from HM Probation service who are vital to the efficient operation of the Court.