An ID app that lets legal professionals beat the queues at court is to be rolled out nationally.
HM Courts and Tribunals’ ‘professional-user access scheme’, which has been trialled at ten courts, will be extended to an extra five courts this month, continuing nationwide with completion expected in 2020. Anyone registered with the scheme can walk into courts and tribunals without the need for a full security search each time.
Random searches will be carried out to make sure the scheme is working as intended.
Richard Atkins QC, chair of the Bar, said: ‘A lot of hard work and investment has gone into developing this scheme.’
Lady Justice Macur, senior presiding judge for England and Wales, said: ‘Security officers identify and confiscate numerous dangerous items every year. They carry out an important, and often difficult, role and should be treated with the respect and courtesy that all court users should expect in return.’