President of the Police Social and Welfare Association acting Insp Gideon Dickson is calling for court hearings for criminal matters to be returned to the magistrates' courts, citing concerns over the safety and health of police officers and suspects.

Since last year, in-person hearings have been suspended in place of virtual court hearings, where suspected criminals would have their matters heard from the police stations where they were held.

Last Friday, Dickson said there were concerns among officers that this arrangement was unsafe, given the relatively small space in the police station to allow for such hearings.

He also noted that stations were not equipped with the necessary resources to allow for hearings to continue effectively.

Responding to these concerns during the weekly police media briefing on Monday, head of the police legal unit Christian Chandler said he understood the seriousness of the concerns, but the police service was limited in its capacities at this time.

"We are speaking to the relevant stakeholders in order to address that, to see if we can come to some compromise to treat with the concerns that have been raised.

"Let me say all resources have been limited, so therefore the hearings that exist now within the police station, we do the best we can with the limited resources that we have, but we are strained, and this is something we have ventilated and we will continue to meet with the requisite stakeholders to address the issue.

"I can't tell you now that, 'Look, this is the position,' but it is a valid concern and point raised by the association, and we seeking very assiduously to treat with this."

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