CJS working together for the public

Cleveland 

• LCJB Home
• Board Members
• Current Initiatives
• Press Releases
• Downloads
• Community Justice
• Contact Us
• Links
• Current Vacancies
• Polls
• Performance Figures

Current Initiatives

BRINGING OFFENCES TO JUSTICE

The Cleveland Criminal Justice Board is committed to increasing the number of offences that are brought to justice. For the end of the financial year 2006/07 Cleveland Criminal Justice Board was set the target of bringing 16,558 offences to justice. The actual number of offences brought to justice by Cleveland for the same period was 20,981, an improvement of 26.7% on the target. Cleveland Criminal Justice Board achieved this impressive result through numerous multi-agency initiatives. These include:

A focus on Prolific and other Priority Offenders (PPO):

• it is thought that approximately 10% of these offenders are responsible for around 50% of all crime. By prioritising these individuals we not only aim to cut crime and disorder but also enhance the confidence of local communities. Targeting and fast-tracking these offenders through the criminal justice system is one of the initiatives of the CCJB.

The use of statutory charging

• This initiative is used by Crown Prosecution Service lawyers within police stations to provide early legal advice on charging decisions. It provides numerous benefits in bringing offences to justice such as; effective case building; a reduction in attrition and case discontinuance; an improved service to both victims and witness, and a more effective and efficient use of time which can lead to considerable financial savings.

The creation of the No Witness No Justice (NWNJ)

• The scheme is a national initiative introduced to improve the service given to victims and witnesses by focusing on their needs and requirements. This can include keeping a victim informed on the progress of a particular case or providing care and support to those persons who may have difficult personal circumstances. The initiative involves representatives from HM Courts Service, Crown Prosecution Service and the Police who work together in Witness Care Units to provide for the needs of victims and witnesses.

Persistent Young Offenders (PYO)

• Collaboration between Youth Offending Teams, Cleveland Police and HM Courts Service has also contributed towards meeting the national target relating to PYOs. This target aims for all cases involving PYO’s to be dealt with within 71 days from arrest to sentence. Performance in the 2006/07 financial year showed Cleveland performance to be 69 days.

ENFORCEMENT

The issue of enforcement is one that covers a wide range of the criminal justice system agencies. It is an area that can help improve confidence in the CJS, whether it is the general public, victims & witnesses or CJS practitioners. The work of the Cleveland Criminal Justice Board has enabled many enforcement targets be met through inter agency partnerships and initiatives. These include:

Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA)

• The work of the Crown Prosecution Service, Cleveland Police and HM Courts Service has resulted in the confiscation of £1,103,315 of monies acquired from criminal acts during 2006/07 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. A substantial amount of this money will then be used by CJS agencies within Cleveland to enforce more confiscation orders.

Recording and Execution of Warrants

• A working partnership between HM Courts Service and Cleveland Police has lead to an increasingly efficient system used to deal with the recording and execution of warrants. Police based operations such as Operation Turn- Up has resulted in a considerable fall in the number of outstanding warrants from those persons who fail to appear in court.