Forces take active steps to detain those wanted on warrant

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Criminal Justice Performance, Deputy Chief Constable Gary Knighton said:

“Between 1.5 million to 2 million criminal cases go through the Magistrates Court in England and Wales every year. Within these cases there are those where the courts will issue arrest warrants for people who have failed to appear or breached a penalty imposed by the courts.

“The police service takes a risk based approach to executing warrants by considering the severity of the offence involved and prioritising arrests for the most serious offences. Forces take active steps to detain those wanted on warrant by circulating them as wanted on the Police National Computer, liaising with partner organisations and making necessary enquiries to trace them in order to bring them before the courts.”