All Rise!

Well what a fun week I've had! Apart from being away for the weekend, my computer crashed taking with it the hard drive. It was repaired and then in the middle of a back up it crashed again leaving the hard drive stone dead!

A trip to a mates place saw me ordering a nice new one and an expected delivery time of last night. It turned up this afternoon...go figure!

I arrived back from my annual leave which was mainly filled with decorating the imminent arrivals nursery, knackered and wanting yet more time off! I hate going back into work after A/L as you can guarantee that even with the out of office assistant on you'll still get emails sitting in your inbox saying that they want something doing straight away. The annoying thing is that I've got emergency contacts in my OOA reply directing them to send the emails to my skipper yet the senders never bother to email them and then I get a snotagram asking why I haven't replied even though they receive the OOA and will get one for the email they just sent!

Any way, I digress. My first day back was a Crown Court sentence hearing. I arrived in the office to switch off my OOA and to check my emails, all 71 of them. Most were usual circulars which I usually hit delete. I couldn't see any de-warnings and I never received a de-warn via telephone so off I trotted to the CC.

Walking in through the doors I looked at the TV screens for the listings and couldn't find it on there. I knew it was that day as I was in the Court when they all ordered the date for the sentence hearing to be held.

The job was a year and a half old and was dragging on and on. The fool of a defendant decided to be tried by a jury of his peers and was found guilty for the offence after a two day hearing and a twenty minute deliberation. This case had been adjourned over and over for all that time. I was warned, de-warned at least 15 times during the life time of the case. As the OIC (Officer In Case) I had no choice but to attend and be on the beckon call of all and sundry.

Finally when it did go ahead it would have to be on my rest days! I don't mind the overtime but what's the point of completing MG10's (dates to avoid list) if the CJU (Criminal Justice Unit) and court ignore them!

Well, I as I said, I arrived for the sentencing hearing which was scheduled for the 17th of September and agreed by everyone as no one could make it any other day. I was asked by the CPS (Criminal Protection Service) to attend as I was the OIC. I couldn't see the trial listed so off I trotted to the CPS office who said "It's not listed for today" a little shocked I was directed to the Listings Office who after searching the records said "It's not listed for today, the Recorder has pencilled it to Friday 21st" I was a little annoyed at this and said "I know it's not your fault but why have they moved it? No one could make it any other day and this is why it was set for today." Apparently, according to the lists officer, I was the third officer that morning it had happened to!

I was warned for Crown Court for the rest of the week with another case, in fact the dates clashed so a bit of jiggery pokery with the CJU bods from another nick saw me heading to another Crown Court for the second time yesterday. This job was quite a simple one and frankly I was surprised that I was warned for it. I was arresting officer and was scratching my head as to what the defence could cross exam me for.

I arrived with plenty of time again in full dress tunic and walked to the CPS office. The case (I assumed) was already a day old and the CPS were on the understanding that I couldn't attend the Monday. I asked the CPS officer about the case and he just looked blank saying I should phone the lists office. I phoned, and guess what? The case wasn't even listed!

Two days wasted! The really annoying thing is that I received no de-warnings either via email or telephone for both of these cases and the CJU have my mobile number as they knew I was going away.

They warn you quite happily that a case will occur in the middle of your days off, courses, annual leave or slap bang in the middle of nights despite being given the dates to avoid... yet when it comes to a de-warn, nothing!

I received a phone call this evening from my witness care department and I thought, "Here we go, the case will be tomorrow on my day off."

"Hello PC Response Plod, this is the witness care unit, you are warned to attend (yet another) Crown Court for the case of, Crown versus ***** on 21st October to 2nd November at ******* Crown Court. Will you be able to attend?"

I wonder if this one will be cancelled without prior warning?