Fast-track court system planned for London Olympics Justice will be swift for offences committed during the Olympics, based on lessons learned from last year's riots. Measures have been drawn up to fast-track the trials of people accused of offences linked to the Olympics, based on the way offenders were processed after last summer's riots. A key element of the plans will be the categorisation of an "Olympics offence," based on when and where the alleged offence was committed, and whether the accused or victim is a competitor, spectator or official. Suspects will be charged within hours, prosecutors will be on call 24 hours a day and courts will hold extended sittings in the evenings and in the early mornings. Use will also be made of the existing practice of having defendants appear via videolinks. The package has been drawn up by the Crown Prosecution Service in conjunction with the police, the courts service and other bodies. The measures will be applied in London and in any areas where Olympic events are taking place, including Weymouth, in Dorset. Alison Saunders, the chief CPS prosecutor for London, told the Times: "Many people who come to the Olympics won't live here, so it is important that if offences are committed, we act quickly. People who commit offences on Tuesday will be in court on Wednesday ... we are learning the lessons of the summer riots. Following the riots, many offenders were processed through the courts within days rather than the usual weeks, and some courts worked through the night, although there were warnings of a threat of "rushed justice." The CPS confirmed that courts would be able to sit for extended hours, from 8am to 1.30pm and from 2.30pm to 7.30pm, while some courts will also sit on Saturdays. The measures have been drawn up with crimes such as ticket touting and pick-pocketing in mind. Saunders said it was impossible to predict if crime rates would rise or fall during the Games. There is no direct comparison. At the Manchester Commonwealth Games, offending levels actually fell, perhaps because people were preoccupied and also because there was a feelgood factor.