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Magistrates' Courts: Security Guards

Asked by Sarah HallLabour (Co-op)Ministry of JusticeTabled Answered 19 September 2025UIN 76706

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of security officers at magistrate's courts.

Answered by Sarah Sackman

Security in our courts and judicial security is paramount. Over £20 million in additional funding in 2025/26 has been allocated to a programme of works to further strengthen the existing arrangements. Local court security risk assessments are carried out to determine the appropriate number of Court Security Officers deployed at Magistrates Courts. These are reviewed when there are any significant changes to work activities or threats. There are ongoing risk monitoring arrangements in place to ensure the adequacy of these arrangements.

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