KEY POINTS:
Thousands of weapons are being seized at New Zealand courts every year and a senior judge is warning that security needs to be strengthened to "prevent bloodshed".
In just one week at the Manukau District Court, in March this year, staff seized dozens of weapons including a gun, knuckleduster and several long-bladed knives.
Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier told a family violence conference in Napier yesterday that security in New Zealand courts was "woefully inadequate" when compared with those overseas.
Foreign courts had obvious and immediate security, with walk-through scanners and x-ray machines.
"For inexplicable reasons security in our district criminal and family courts is well short of overseas court standards and what we now come to expect in our airports and Parliament," he said.
Judge Boshier said a high number of people were trying to smuggle dangerous weapons into courts every day.
The Law Society backed Judge Boshier's call to boost security.
Law Society family law section chairman Paul Maskell said there were often flaws, even where scanners were available, and security in courts needed to be addressed as soon as possible.
In the year to May, 414,082 searches were conducted nationally and 4231 items were seized or temporarily confiscated.
The fact such weapons were coming so close to - and even inside - courts was causing concern for people who were giving evidence. Judge Boshier called for every person who used the courts to be searched.
"There simply must be high standards of security to ensure that all users of our courts are searched and that weapons, if being carried, are able to be detected and removed."
Authorities knew the threat of witness and victim intimidation was high and that it was happening already. "What we must do is avoid the avoidable and that is, prevent bloodshed through use of weapons."
Criminal family violence and family courts had a "long way to go" before people coming into them could feel confident they were being kept safe, he said.
"Victims of violence must be able to come to our criminal family violence and family courts knowing that we have taken steps that we should - to keep them safe."
Judge Boshier said a repercussion of this was some people were not coming to criminal court to give evidence because of their safety fears. Courts "must do better", he said.
"A real worry is the knowledge that some victims will not come to the criminal courts to give evidence because of fear, and equally they look askance at the Family Court because of the uneven security."
There are 53 court security officers in 13 courts throughout the country. They all have hand-held scanners but only 11 of the 63 district courts have walk-through scanners.
Ministry of Justice director of technical and judicial security, Ivan Ravlich, said staff worked to provide the best security possible. Their concern was for everyone in each courthouse.
The ministry assessed the risk levels for courthouses nationwide and deployed security staff and equipment accordingly.
Mr Ravlich said when a courthouse was refurbished or built, enhanced security was always a high priority.
The numbers:
4231 items were seized or temporarily confiscated at courts in a single year.
Only 11 of the 63 district courts have walk-through scanners.
- with NZPA
