A shortage of sheriffs in the Victoria Court House resulted in three trials being cancelled last Friday, January 21. 

Three separate judges refused to run their courts because there were not enough Deputy Sheriffs to cover the number of courts scheduled that day. Sheriffs provide security in court rooms. 

"Sheriffs have been warning the Court Services Branch (CSB) for over a year about the need to hire more sheriffs due to impending work load and staffing issues and nothing has been done," said Dean Purdy, chair of the union's Correctional and Sheriff Services component.

On the day in question there were a total of seven courts running, five provincial and two supreme courts. Three of these were cancelled. 

There are usually five or six courts running each day. One Deputy Sheriff is required per court unless they have an in-custody prisoner from jail appearing in court. This requires two Deputy Sheriffs per prisoner. 

"I understand this has happened at least six times over the last year and a half and it's not right," said Purdy. "It's ironic that the CSB was able to hire 32 staff in 2010, yet they wouldn’t let the Sheriff Services division hire a single sheriff in 2009 and only ten in 2010 even though they lost more than that number through attrition."

"I am concerned that more court proceedings will be halted. Any delays in our already overcrowded courts is a problem," said Purdy. 

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