A total of 40 items were confiscated at Havering Magistrates’ Court in the past year.
The figures, revealed by Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) following a Freedom Of Information request, show that among banned items security officers confiscated from people entering the court were knives and tools.
The figures, which are for April 2010 to March 31 this year for the court in Main Road, Romford, also show that in October alone there were 20 tools confiscated from people entering the court.
In September two knives were seized, in June three tools were taken and in December security staff confiscated three banned tools from visitors.
The entrance of Havering Magistrates’ Court and other magistrate and youth courts across the country are monitored by security officers.
Everyone who enters a court, including solicitors, lawyers, legal aids, journalists and visitors must walk through scanners, before their bags are checked using hand-held metal detectors.
When someone is caught trying to bring a banned item into the court, it is passed on to the police.
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