Motoring offenders can now enter a guilty plea digitally in Hampshire

13 July 2021

Hampshire Police Constabulary have implemented a new management system to improve the efficiency of the justice system for motoring offenders. 

The new system allows people who commit motoring offences to enter a guilty plea digitally, avoiding the need for court appearances and therefore significantly cutting down the time needed to resolve cases.

Offenders will still be able to request a court hearing, if they so wish. 

Summary Justice Unit Team Leader at Hampshire Police Emily Brown said, "I’m delighted we’ve been chosen as the first force to deal with traffic offences using this new system.

"It means that when people are charged with traffic offences, like speeding or driving without insurance, they will be dealt with efficiently and fairly with minimal delays.

"It means our local courts can concentrate on those cases that really need to be there."

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire Police Donna Jones said, “I am pleased that Hampshire Constabulary has been selected as the first police force in the country to implement the procedure.

"Anything that speeds up the process and makes its quicker and easier for people to plead guilty and the case to be concluded sooner, is welcome.

"The number of traffic cases dealt with by courts across the whole country, where individuals ‘plead guilty by post’ is enormous.

"This will free up valuable court time when we have significant national backlogs in the courts system due to Covid delays.”

A similar system for entering a guilty plea online was introduced in 2015 for adult, summary-only and non-imprisonable criminal cases, which account for around 850,000 of annual cases. 

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