Police Remove "Hand Yourself In" Poster

A police station has removed a poster advising people wanted on warrant of the best time to hand themselves in.

The poster, which was affixed at the front entrance of Worcester Police Station, said the following:

"Please note that Worcester Magistrate's (sic) Court is no longer a remand court.

"The remand court for Worcestershire is now Kidderminster.

"If you hand yourself in at Worcester Police Station after 6 am for a court warrant you will need to wait in police detention until the following morning (24 hrs).

"The best time to hand yourself in at Worcester is between 10 pm and 4 am to enable transport arrangements to be made to Kidderminster."

The poster relates to the Ministry of Justice's recent decision to centralise all Shropshire and Worcestershire remand cases at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court.

Chief Inspector Alan Wall, senior officer in charge of custody at West Mercia Police, said: "We are aware of a poster referencing some changes to the system. The poster, which was written in good faith, has since been removed and does not reflect operational guidance.

"Individuals wanted by the courts often hand themselves in at police stations and we would encourage them to do so at the earliest opportunity to allow us to process them efficiently through the system prior to any court appearance."

Under current arrangements anyone arrested on warrant is transported to Kidderminster Magistrates' Court by bus early in the morning. If the time of their arrest means they miss the bus, then they will be held until the following morning. Local solicitors have said police are left "babysitting" those held in custody awaiting transport to Kidderminster.