LONDON, June 27 (Bernama) -- People who commit offences linked to the Olympics Games will be put in court within 24 hours under the so-called instant justice initiated by the Crown Prosecution Service and other related departments, local media reported Tuesday.

Offenders will be categorised under a specially defined 'Olympics offence' based on whether the crime was committed during the Games, its location and whether the accused or victim is a competitor, spectator or official, Xinhua news agency quoted The Times as saying.

The unprecedented contingency plans were drawn up by the Crown Prosecution Service along with the police, Courts Service and other criminal justice agencies such as Victim Support.

It will cover London and other areas where events take place including the Thames Valley and Weymouth in Dorset.

Under the plans, suspects will be charged within hours of an offence, courts across London will sit in the evenings and early mornings, virtual live-link hearings will be held for offenders to be fast-tracked through the justice system.

Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London, said: "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."

Some courts will also sit on Saturdays. Prosecutors will be on call 24 hours a day to assist with charging and virtual courts, already at Camberwell and Bromley, will be used heavily with up to 22 planned hearings a day to cut the movement of prisoners across the capital.

The timescale for the Olympics offences began on May 1 and will run until September 30.

The aim is expediency and the need to fast-track defendants who may not be from Britain or London.

When Olympics offenders come to court, they may also be dealt with firmly: as with the rioters, magistrates may take a dim view of behavior intended to exploit the international audience at the venues and the millions watching on TV around the world.

Offenders will face exclusion orders to prevent them from coming near Olympic venues.

-- BERNAMA