Joining forces to make Cambridgeshire safer.
The Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice Board brings together all of the county's criminal justice agencies to reduce crime and improve justice locally.
Whether you're a victim of crime, a witness, a juror or have been accused or convicted of a crime, this site's for you. If you have an interest in criminal justice, you should find plenty to keep you informed and entertained. Take a look around - there's plenty to explore!
Q. What do you get when you mix modern and medieval, throw in Cambridgeshire's coolest dance troupe, a graffiti board, climbing wall, cartoon and mask-making workshops, a pair of stocks and interactive displays - all provided free of charge to the public?
A. The Kids Are Alright at the Chatteris Medieval Festival.
Modern dance moves met medieval merriment in the first event of its kind in Cambridgeshire!
The Kids Are Alright at the Chatteris Medieval Festival was a massive success, attracting thousands of people of all ages on June 27.
Cambridge collective Dance Offensive were the stars of the show, mixing up hip hop, break dance and Capoeira to provide three high-energy, gravity-defying performances.
The fun-packed event, hosted by Phoebe Nickalls and Freya Gladwin of the Fenland Youth District Council, featured a host of free activities and displays to showcase the Kids Are Alright campaign.
To read more about the event - and see action-packed photos of the fun and festivities - click here.
Or click here to see photos from the event on the BBC Cambridgeshire website!
To watch a video of the event made by the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard click here - or here to find out more about the youth stereotype-busting Kids Are Alright campaign.
Nominate a mate - and be in to win a shopping spree!!!!!!!!!!!!
Know a justice superhero? Someone who's gone the extra mile? Get them the recognition they deserve - and be in to win shopping vouchers!
The Justice Awards is an annual campaign recognising outstanding achievements by staff and volunteers across the criminal justice system.
And this year, nominating someone or a team for an award is easier than ever.
As an added incentive in Cambridgeshire, those successfully completing a nomination will go into a draw to win a £50 High Street Shopping Voucher! Terms and conditions apply.
So what are you waiting for? Nominate a mate (or team) by July 27 by clicking here.
To read about the teams and individuals recognised in last year's Cambridgeshire Justice Awards, click here - or download our special tribute to our local justice superheroes here.
Inside Justice Week...
All will be revealed soon - so watch this space!
And get Twittering for regular updates from Cambridgeshire and beyond: www.twitter.com/InsideJustice4U
Read all about it!
The Spring edition of Just News is out now!
Read about why we're proud to say that The Kids Are Alright, week in, week out...
You can also read about Payback at the Posh and get to know Tom Jefford, the new chairman of the Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice Board.
In this edition you can meet a police helicopter pilot, find out about an interactive roadshow featuring magistrates and probation staff that's coming to Peterborough - and learn about Cambridge's very own Midsummer murder.
The magazine is packed full of news and features from the frontline of Cambridgeshire's justice system.
To download your free copy, please click here.
Green Paper offers ‘louder voice for communities’ in criminal justice improvements
A series of new measures to give communities more say in the way justice is done in their area has been announced by ministers.
The new initiatives form part of the Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice Green Paper, published on April 29, which proposes a range of measures to ensure a more effective criminal justice service.
The Government encourages and welcomes comments on the proposals in the Green Paper and seek the views of the public and the dedicated professionals and volunteers who work in and with criminal justice organisations.
The consultation will run until Friday 31 July 2009. For more details click here.
Cambridgeshire's top cop named woman of the year
Cambridgeshire Chief Constable Julie Spence was named Public Services woman of the year at the First Women Awards in London on June 11.
Mrs Spence OBE, who is also president of the British Association for Women in Policing, is regarded as one of the most influential women in the UK police.
Judges of the awards - which are held in association with Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets and supported by the CBI – said Mrs Spence was a “genuine groundbreaker.” They saw her as a “real inspiration to other women in the sector.”
The First Women Awards, which were founded five years ago, celebrate genuine ‘glass ceiling breakers’ in business and public life.
Cambridgeshire’s justice chiefs are proud to back the Kids Are Alright campaign.
Members of the Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice Board (CCJB) took a couple of minutes out from their busy meeting on June 9, 2009, to endorse the stereotype-busting campaign.
The Kids Are Alright is the name of an exciting multi-agency campaign run through the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard newspapers, promoting positive contributions by young people to their communities.
Chair Tom Jefford, who also heads Cambridgeshire Youth Support Services, said: “Positive images of young people are incredibly important because they so often end up being targeted by the media and seen as a problem. This campaign is a great opportunity to show what young people are really about.”
Head of Peterborough Youth Offending Service Bob Footer added: “Most kids are a real credit to us most of the time. The Kids Are Alright celebrates this.”
To find out more about The Kids Are Alright click here.
To read about the inspiring young people so far featured in The Kids Are Alright campaign or to nominate a young person or group for a Kids Are Alright award, you can click on this link.
"The vast majority of children and young people never get involved in crime or criminality. By doing what kids do - talking to their mates - they get pilloried as yobs and wrongly accused of antisocial behaviour, with people wanting to treat them as criminals." - Chief Constable Julie Spence, Cambridgeshire Constabulary
"Too often in the UK we stereotype young people as hooligans whereas the vast majority of young people are decent, law abiding citizens who want to do the right thing." - Chief Fire Officer Graham Stagg, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
"Yes, the Kids Are Alright, and I'm very proud to lead a newspaper that will say so, week in and week out." - John Elworthy, Editor, Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard
"Positive images of young people are incredibly important because they so often end up being targeted by the media and seen as a problem. This campaign is a great opportunity to show what young people are really about." - Tom Jefford, Head of Youth and Participation, Cambridgeshire Youth Offending Service, and Chair of the Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice Board
"Most young people live crime-free lives. And many make a positive contribution to their communities. It's great to see the majority experience being reported." - Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire County Council
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT - PASS IT ON!
Make your views known! Vote in our online polls!
Recently we asked you if communities should have a greater say in how offenders in their areas were dealt with - and you were split down the middle! 50% said no, while the same amount were in favour of greater community involvement in dealing with offenders.
In our latest poll we want to know if pet owners guilty of dog fouling offences should be named and shamed. Dog fouling is one of the main nuisances reported to Neighbourhood Panel Meetings.
What do you think? Would exposing those who don't clean up after their dogs serve as a deterrent? Or would naming and shaming dog-owners who fall foul of their responsibilities be overkill?
Make your views known in our online polls.
When Aivaras Krochalev arrived as a migrant worker in 2003, he only intended to stay for six months.
It would be just enough time for him to earn enough money to buy him and his sweetheart Kristina a home back in Lithuania. And he was determined not to leave Kristina, who he'd wed on Valentine's Day that year, for any longer.
But after three months he realised his future lay in England - and today he performs a vital role in the Wisbech community as a PCSO.
Click here to find out more - and here for more Justice Careers.
Judge for yourself
Most of us have views about how criminals should be sentenced - but how easy is it to know which sentence to pass?
Meet fictional characters Mike and Barbara who, when approached by police for confronting a doorman at a Peterborough pub, are found carrying knives. How would you sentence them?
What are your views on Nigel Nicholson, caught driving in Wisbech Town Centre while disqualified for drink driving? How should John Smith be treated when pleading guilty to possessing class C drugs near Cambridge Railway Station with intent to supply?
Take a look at the facts - and have a go at advising a court!
On other parts of this website you can put your knowledge to the test with an interactive Criminal Justice quiz or vote in regular polls.
Want to make a real difference to your community? Check out our Justice Careers section - showing what it's really like to work on the frontline of Cambridgeshire's criminal justice system.
