Matthew McGovern shared his experiences at Hamilton Sheriff Court on social media as he explained that custody arrangements are causing problems all across the country. 

Mr McGovern explained that Court finished at 10pm on Monday the 21st August. It was explained that the last suspect was transferred by GeoAmey from a police station to the Court at 8:30pm which illustrates the extent of the delays that is now being faced on a daily basis.

It was explained by GEOAmey that more than 40 people were scheduled to be transported to the Court but only had the capacity of nine cells. Although it was an issued faced in Hamilton Sheriff Court it is a national problem in all Courts. 

It was also announced by Sheriff Principal Pyle that pending Jury Trials in places such as Stornoway, Kirkwall Sheriff Courts will not be able to go ahead as a result of staffing challenges faced by GeoAmey. 

Alongside this, the Law Society of Scotland have also illustrated that they have been receiving unacceptable delays in Courts across the country for some time.

A spokesperson n from GEOAmey stated that they are committed in order to help clear the backlog of criminal cases in Scotland and understand that this has now led to an increase in demand for their services. 

Due to the increased levels of concern Prison Services are working with GEOAmey in order to ensure that they are meeting their transport needs. As a result of this GeoAmey is trying to improve staff recruitment and retention to meet the demand for service.