Serco Prisoner Escort Services Courts and Sites
We have extensive experience in the management of this complex prisoner care, planning and logistics service and understand the varied requirements of the stakeholder community. Serco puts welfare and security at the heart of its escorting services and our services are carried out with compassion and care by highly trained and security cleared staff.
Serco provides safe and secure Prisoner Escort Services on behalf of justice departments moving people quickly and efficiently between prisons or police stations and court appearances. We also provide Court Services to many of the most high profile courts in England including the Royal Courts of Justice, the Central Criminal Court and Westminster Magistrates' Courts.
Courts and sites
Crown Court
The Crown Court carries out four principal types of activity: appeals from decisions of magistrates; sentencing of defendants committed from magistrates’ courts, jury trials, and the sentencing of those who are convicted in the Crown Court, either after trial or on pleading guilty.
A Crown Court deals with serious criminal cases, for example:
- murder
- rape
- robbery
A Crown Court:
- normally has a jury - which decides if you’re guilty or not
- has a judge - who decides what sentence you get
Magistrates Court
A magistrates' court is a lower court which holds trials for summary offences and preliminary hearings for more serious ones.
Almost all criminal proceedings start at a magistrates' court.
Summary offences are smaller crimes (such as public order offences or most driving matters) that can be punished under the magistrates' courts limited sentencing powers – community sentences, fines, short custodial sentences. Indictable offences, on the other hand, are serious crimes (e.g. rape, murder); if it is found at the initial hearing of the magistrates' court that there is a case to answer, they are committed to the Crown Court, which has a much wider range of sentencing power.
Either-way offences (such as theft) will ultimately fall into one of the previous categories depending on how serious the particular crime in question is (a minor theft will be dealt with in a magistrates' court; a serious theft will be dealt with in a Crown Court), although a defendant also has the right in such cases to elect for trial by jury in the Crown Court.
Being kept in custody or granted bail
In some cases the magistrates’ court will decide if you should be kept in custody until your next court hearing, or released on bail.
This may happen if:
- another court hearing is needed
- the court needs more information before passing sentence
- your case is passed to the Crown Court for trial or sentencing
The court can give punishments including:
- up to 6 months in prison (or up to 12 months in total for more than one offence)
- a fine
- a community sentence, like doing unpaid work in the community
- a ban, for example from driving or keeping an animal
Courts can also give a combination of punishments - for example a fine and unpaid work in the community.
Operational sites
Aylesbury Crown |
Walton Street, Aylesbury, |
Barnstaple |
The Law Courts, Civic |
Barkingside |
850 Cranbrook Road, |
Basildon Crown |
The Gore, Basildon, |
Basildon |
The Court House, Great |
Basingstoke |
The Court House, London |
Bath Magistrates |
North Parade Road, BA1 |
Bexleyheath |
Norwich Place, |
Bodmin Magistrates |
Launceston Road, PL31 |
Bournemouth |
Courts of Justice, |
Brighton Combined |
The Law Courts, Edward |
Bristol Crown Court |
The Law Courts, Small |
Bristol Magistrates |
Marlborough Street, BS31 |
Bromley |
The Court House, 1 |
Cambridge Crown |
83 East Road, Cambridge, |
Cambridge |
12 St Andrews Street, |
Canterbury Crown |
The Law Courts, Chaucer |
Canterbury |
Broad Street, CT1 2UE |
Central Criminal |
Old Bailey, EC4M 7EH |
Chatham |
The Brook, ME4 4JZ |
Chelmsford Crown |
New Street, Chelmsford, |
Chelmsford |
10 New Street, |
Cheltenham |
St Georges Road, GL50 |
City of London |
1 Queen Victoria Street, |
Colchester |
St Botolphs Circus, |
Court of Appeal |
Royal Courts of Justice, |
Crawley |
County Buildings, |
Croydon Crown |
The Law Courts, Altyre |
Croydon |
Barclay Road, Croydon, |
Ealing Magistrates |
The Court House, Green |
Exeter Law Courts |
The Exeter Law Courts, |
Folkestone |
Castle Hill Avenue, CT20 |
Gloucester Crown |
Shire Hall, Longsmith |
Great Yarmouth |
North Quay, Great |
Guildford Crown |
Bedford Road, GU1 4ST |
Guildford |
The Law Courts, Mary |
Harrow Crown |
Hailsham Drive, Harrow, |
Hastings |
The Law Courts, Horntyre |
Hatfield Remand |
Comet Way, Hatfield, |
Hendon Magistrates |
The Court House, The |
Highbury |
51-53 Holloway Road, |
High Wycombe |
Easton Street, HP11 1LR |
Hove Crown Court |
Lansdowne Road, BN3 |
Huntingdon Law |
Walden Road, |
Inner London |
Sessions House, |
Ipswich Crown |
The Court House, 1 |
Ipswich Magistrates |
Elm Street, Ipswich, |
Isleworth Crown |
36 Ridgeway Road, |
Kings Lynn |
The Court House, Kings |
Kingston Crown |
6-8 Penrhyn Road, |
Lewes Crown Court |
The Law Courts, High |
Luton Crown Court |
7 George Street, Luton, |
Luton Magistrates |
Stuart Street, Luton, LU1 |
Maidstone Crown |
The Law Courts, Barker |
Maidstone |
Palace Avenue, ME15 6LL |
Margate |
Cecil Square, CT9 1BD |
Milton Keynes |
301 Silbury Boulevard, |
Newport (IOW) |
Quay Street, PO30 5BB |
Newton Abbott |
Newfoundland Way, |
Norwich Crown |
The Law Courts, |
Norwich |
Bishopgate, Norwich, NR3 |
Oxford Crown Court |
St Aldates, OX1 1TL |
Oxford Magistrates |
The Court House, |
Peterborough |
Crown Buildings, |
Peterborough |
The Court House, Bridge |
Plymouth Crown |
The Law Courts, Armada |
Plymouth |
St Andrews Street, PL1 |
Poole Magistrates |
The Law Courts, Park |
Portsmouth Crown |
The Courts of Justice, |
Portsmouth |
Winston Churchill Avenue, |
Reading Crown |
Old Shire Hall, The |
Reading |
Civic Centre, RG1 7TQ |
Romford |
19 Main Road, Romford, |
Salisbury Combined |
The Law Courts, Wilton |
Sevenoaks |
Morewood Close, London |
Slough Magistrates |
Chalvey Park, Off Windsor |
Snaresbrook Crown |
75 Hollybush Hill, |
Southampton |
The Courts of Justice, |
Southampton |
100 The Avenue, SO17 |
Southend |
80 Victoria Avenue, |
Southwark Crown |
1 English Grounds, |
Staines Magistrates |
Knowle Green, TW18 1XR |
St Albans Crown |
Bricket Road, St Albans, |
St Albans |
The Civic Centre, St |
Stevenage |
Danesgate, Stevenage, |
Stratford |
389-397 High Road, |
Swindon Crown |
The Law Courts, Islington |
Swindon |
Princes Street, SN1 2JB |
Taunton Crown |
The Shire Hall, TA1 4EU |
Taunton |
St John’s Road, TA1 4AX |
Thames |
58 Bow Road, London, E3 |
Truro Crown Court |
Courts of Justice, Edward |
Truro Magistrates |
The Court House, |
Uxbridge |
The Court House, |
Westminster |
181 Marylebone Road, |
Weston-Super-Mare |
The Hedges, St Georges, |
Weymouth |
The Law Courts, Westwey |
Willesden |
448 High Road, London, |
Winchester Crown |
The Law Courts, SO23 |
Wimbledon |
Alexander Road, |
Woodgreen Crown |
Woodall House, Lordship |
Woolwich Crown |
2 Belmarsh Road, |
Worthing |
The Law Courts, PO Box |
Yeovil Magistrates |
The Law Courts, Petter’s |
Our vehicle bases
Bedford Vehicle Base |
4 Viking Business Centre, |
Bristol Vehicle Base |
Unit 1 Access 18, |
Buckingham Vehicle Base |
Gawcott Fields Farm, |
Burgess Hill Vehicle Base |
Unit 2 School Close, |
Colchester Vehicle Base |
10a Westside Centre, |
Croydon Vehicle Base |
Unit 9, Beddington Cross |
Eastleigh Vehicle Base |
Unit 1 Renown Close, |
Exeter Vehicle Base |
Unit 3 Green Dale B.P, |
Greenford Vehicle Base |
Greenford Road, |
New Southgate Vehicle |
Unit 7, Brunswick |
Peterborough Vehicle |
Serco House, Saville |
Sittingbourne Vehicle |
3/9 Tribune Drive, |
Truro Vehicle Base |
Unit 28, Tresillian |
Watton Vehicle Base |
Unit C2, Neaton Business |
West Thurrock Vehicle |
801 London Road, Grays, |
Woking Vehicle Base |
Unit 1 Kestrel Way, |