The public petitions system has now closed ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections on 7 May 2026. It is not possible to submit a new petition to the Scottish Parliament or sign a petition until after the election.
The petitions system will reopen at the start of the new parliamentary session.
For more information about the petitions process, please contact the committee team at petitions.committee@parliament.scot.
For more information about the election campaign period and the dissolution of the current parliament, please visit the Scottish Parliament’s Election 2026 webpage: https://www.parliament.scot/msps/elections/election-2026
Closed petition PE2073: Ensure accurate information is used when issuing court summons
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to require the police and court services to check address information is up to date when issuing court summons and allow those being summoned the chance to receive a summons if their address has changed, rather than the current system of proceeding to issue a warrant for arrest.
Previous action taken
I have emailed Sharon Dowey MSP, Martin Whitfield MSP, Brian Whittle MSP, Colin Smyth MSP and Emma Harper MSP.
Background information
On Saturday 4th November 2023, Police Scotland attempted to arrest a paramedic at home due to missing a court date. The summons had been sent to a previous address and thus the paramedic had no knowledge of it. On the evening of the 6th of November, the individual was arrested and spent the night in the cells. The summons was for a court date in 2018.
This happened over Guy Fawkes weekend. This situation did not help the public, potentially putting the public at risk of harm by reducing medical cover on a weekend whereby significant burns and trauma are highly likely.
Police Scotland got the address for the warrant without difficulty; thus, one could argue they could have as easily gotten the address and delivered the summons. This would have saved significant time for police, public money, cell space, and court time.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
8 signatures