Drink driving, minor violence, public annoyance, small-scale drug charges, and stealing are examples of minor offences known as simple crimes or summary offences. Crimes and misdemeanours, often known as indictable offences, are serious offences. Indictable offences include robbery, murder, rape, and large-scale drug trafficking.

When someone is arrested for a crime, they are given an arrest warrant and transported to a watchhouse. The defendant will be charged, photographed, and fingerprinted when he or she arrives. The watchhouse keeper may grant a bail application, but if it is denied, the prisoner must be sent to court to ask for bail.

If a person is not arrested, he will be notified that he has been charged via a complaint and summons or a notice to appear. Both are in writing and will advise the accused of the date on which he must appear in court. The difference is that the complaint and summons are sworn in front of a justice of the peace, whereas the notice to appear is not. A person who receives these notices is also eligible for bail, and the magistrate will decide whether or not to grant it.

The right to a lawyer is the first right of a person accused of a criminal offence. Even if an accused is detained in the watchhouse, he has the right to request a lawyer or have his family contact one for him. The accused's second right is to remain silent, which will not be interpreted as a sign of guilt. The police officers who arrested the suspect are required by law to advise the suspect of these two rights.

The accused has the right to know everything there is to know about the charges leveled against him. If the accused is arrested, authorities must bring out a charge sheet to provide information about the charge. The accused is also entitled to a copy of the policy brief, which contains the officers' sworn statements as well as his criminal history. These materials are required in order for the accused to fully analyse his case. If the accused was served with a complaint and summons or a notice to appear, the details of the case against him will normally be known once he arrives in court.

Summary offences are usually heard in magistrate's courts since they are less serious than indictable offences, which are filed in the District or Supreme Court. The accused must have already determined whether or not to plead guilty to the charge by the time the matter is called in court.

This article is merely a synopsis of the topic at hand and should not be construed as full legal advice for you to defend yourself on your own. If you have been charged with a crime, it is strongly advised that you obtain legal advice from a criminal lawyer.