Warrants for defendants skipping court in England and Wales up 50% since 2020
Summary
In England and Wales, nearly 60,000 arrest warrants were issued last year because defendants skipped their court appearances, which is almost 50% more than in 2020. Many of these suspects have not been found, including people wanted for serious crimes like rape and armed robbery, showing big problems in the criminal justice system.Key Facts
- Almost 60,000 arrest warrants were issued last year for people who missed court in England and Wales.
- This is a 50% increase since 2020.
- Over 30,000 warrants are still active, meaning many suspects are still not caught.
- More than 7,000 of these warrants were issued before 2020, so some have been on the run for six or more years.
- Around a quarter of the warrants involve serious crimes like rape, armed robbery, and manslaughter.
- The courts face large delays, with backlogs expected to reach 100,000 cases by 2028.
- The number of failure-to-appear warrants in serious courts increased by 134% from 2020 to 2024.
- Some wanted criminals have been found and interviewed abroad, highlighting issues in capturing suspects internationally.
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