'Duty Solicitors' – 24 hour representation for members of the public detained in police cells.

fFaudwAtch UK made this Freedom of Information request to Humberside Police This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Humberside Police,

I would like disclosing the amount of money the taxpayer bares in respect of the set-up which exists between Humberside Police and John Barker duty Solicitors who are given the opportunity to cash in on public funds to attend police stations to represent members of the public in instances when the force has arrested/imprisoned (falsely or otherwise) members of the public.

This is quoted from the website of John Barker Solicitors who I'm aware act in this capacity in respect of Humberside Police:

"Criminal Litigation Department

Our Criminal Department consists of specialist solicitors and accredited support staff who have handled recent high profile cases. Headed by Andrew Havery, our aim is to give you the best possible advice and representation at all stages of the criminal process.....We operate a 24 hour helpline and we will attend police stations to represent you and offer expert advice in respect of interviews at any time of the day or night and obtain Legal Services funding for you where possible."

I would like the basis upon which payment is made, for example whether payment is made per visit/hour/case or year (and cost charged) and the total paid categorised for the last 5 years.

If any other firms of solicitors are contracted for the same purpose I would like the same details in respect of those firms too.

Yours faithfully,

fFaudwAtch UK

Information Compliance,

Thank you for your request for information.  If you are requesting
information under the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental
Information Regulations you will receive a response within the statutory
20 working days.

We aim to respond to any other enquiries within 20 working days. Further
information on requesting information can be found on this [1]link.

 

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References

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1. http://www.humberside.police.uk/your-rig...

Waller, Paul 8065,

1 Attachment

Your Ref:
Our Ref:F-2015-01416

13 November, 2015

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your request for information regarding Expenditure re Duty Solicitors in particular John Barker Solicitors.

This is to inform you that your request has been considered and a relevant response has been attached.

Should any further information be requested regarding this topic, a separate request will need to be submitted.

If I can be of any further assistance on this matter please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Waller
Information Compliance Officer
Humberside Police
Corporate Development Branch
Information Compliance Unit
Police Headquarters
Priory Road
Kingston Upon Hull
HU5 5SF
Tel 101 ext 3326

Internet Email should not be treated as a secure means of communication. To ensure regulatory compliance Humberside Police monitors all Internet Email activity and content. This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the content may be unlawful. If you are not a named addressee, you must not disclose, copy, print, or in any other way use or rely on the data contained in this transmission. If received in error you should notify the sender immediately and delete this Email Humberside Police routinely checks e-mails for computer viruses. However addressees are advised to conduct their own virus checks of all e-mails, & any attachments). Opinions expressed in this document may not be official policy. Thank you for your co-operation. Humberside Police

fFaudwAtch UK (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

RESPONSE:

"No information held in relation to your request.

I can confirm that duty solicitor’s schemes are managed by the Legal Services Commission, and to act as a duty solicitor they must be a member of the Law Society's Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme. I have provided a link below to the law society’s website for further details.

www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/a...

There is a full list of duty solicitor’s available via the website below. A request under the Freedom of Information Act would need to be submitted to that government department for the amount of fees paid. Within the link below are a list of the solicitors that are available to suspects in custody when required

www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rota... "

fFaudwAtch UK (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

A response from the Legal Aid Agency:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

Interestingly for the financial year 2014/15 the total amount paid to all Solicitors in relation to police station attendances was £1,812,141 of which John Barkers made £34,755.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/3...