A weekend in which the number of arrests in Hawke's Bay for failing to appear in court or breaching bail was more than twice that in some other areas has highlighted judges' concerns about delays in the area's courts.
Of the 44 "prisoners received" from 5pm on Friday to 7am last Monday, 36 were wanted on warrants to arrest for failing to appear in court or were alleged to be breaching bail when arrested.
It represented almost 82 per cent of the arrests, which compared with just over 51 per cent in Counties Manukau, about 36.2 per cent in Waikato, and just under 30 per cent in Wellington.
The problem was most graphic when 22 people appeared on an arrests list in Hastings District Court, a mixture of males and females who had spent at least one night in the cells awaiting their appearances, most for failing to appear in court or for breaches of bail.
Hawke's Bay police area response manager Senior Sergeant Fred van Duuren said some also had other new charges. Of the 44, 19 had had arrest warrants issued for failing to appear in court, and 17 faced charges of breaching bail, by such methods as not being at bailing addresses or associating with people they had been prohibited from associating with while on bail.