error Not started

Crime Crime

Bring anyone charged with knife possession to court within days not weeks

Last updated 4 years ago

Anyone charged with knife possession will appear before magistrates within days not weeks.

Conservative Party Manifesto 2019, p.18

Our verdict

  • This is a promise to reduce the time it takes for a person charged with possession of a knife to appear in a magistrates’ court.
  • The latest available statistics cover the period up to the end of September 2020 and the main feature they demonstrate is the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to a fall in the number of disposals (cases dealt with), and a sharp increase in waiting times, outstanding cases and vacated trials (when a trial is removed from the court’s trial list).
  • The coronavirus crisis appears to have stalled any attempt to fulfil this promise, so this policy is ‘not started’.

There's always room for debate

We’re serious about providing clear, up-to-date, non-partisan information. We focus on being consistent and fair in how we reach our verdicts, and always explain our reasoning. But there is always room for debate. So if you see it differently, we’d love you to tell us why. Or even better, submit an edit.

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