Latest News and Events

For all the latest information about news and events keep checking this page.

Local Councillors Judge for themselves

County Durham Councillors were invited to learn more about the work of the LCJB and the Safe Durham Partnership, during an ‘Inside Justice Seminar’ held on 30th March 2010. The aim of the event was to increase knowledge and confidence in the justice system and community safety amongst County Durham elected members, so that they can go back into their communities well informed and spread some positive messages on our behalf.

About 25 councillors attended on the day. They were able to listen to introductions to the partnerships from the Chairs of both the LCJB (Jon Stoddart) and the Safe Durham Partnership (Rachael Shimmin), followed by presentations by many of the Board members about their agency and how the links between agencies help to deliver the best service possible to members of the public.

The audience also participated in a lively ‘You be the Judge’ session, where they listened to a series of cases presented by Chris Enzor, Chief Crown Prosecutor in County Durham and Linda Brenkley, Clerk to the Justices, HMCS.

The event also allowed attendees to raise issues that matter in their communities with the people in charge of these services in County Durham.

The feedback we received from those who attended was very positive and most of the attendees felt they would have the opportunity to pass the knowledge they had gained through the event on to community members, which was exactly what we hoped to achieve through the event. Thanks to all those who helped with the organisation of the day.
 

Putting the cash back into communities

Communities in County Durham & Darlington will benefit from ‘cashback’ from criminals as millions of pounds in seized assets are to be spent on worthwhile projects nominated by members of the public

Bids for money for projects had to fall within one of the following categories:-

  • Crime or Anti Social Behaviour reduction leading to improved community safety
  • Support for victims of crime
  • Restoration and renovation projects
  • New spaces or activities
  • More and better information about justice outcomes
  • Getting communities involved (e.g. preventing and repairing harm in neighbourhoods.)

The closing date for submitting bids has now passed and a total of 38 bids were received from a wide range of people and organisations from across Co Durham & Darlington. After a great deal of work and deliberation between various agencies, plus a public vote, it was narrowed down to seven successful bids. Keep checking this page for latest updates on the projects.

Moto. The police, working together with the local community are using their funding to set up a motorcycle course in Easington, as a means of reducing the number of young people riding off-road bikes illegally. Qualified staff will be on site to ensure the youngsters safety as well as examining their machines to ensure they meet environmental and safety standards. Tuition will be given on riding skills and the law. PROJECT UPDATE- Currently the youngsters are applying for places on courses and the police are purchasing suitable safety equipment.

Pelton Fell Opportunities. A brand new community centre has just been opened in Pelton Fell consisting of activity rooms and play areas for children outside. Pelton Fell has suffered for years with problems of anti-social behaviour, local crime and arson to unoccupied council premises. Their bid for £5000 is being used to employ youth workers three evenings a week to get the young people off the streets and engage in meaningful activities. PROJECT UPDATE- A programme of activities with children is now up and running.

Supporting Victims of Crime. The bid from Victim Support for £37,000 is to employ a dedicated worker for a year to work with victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB), to give them direct support and help on those occasions when they appear at court. ASB is the number one priority for both of our Community Safety Partners in Durham and Darlington who fully support this bid. Helping victims is the central theme running through LCJB work. PROJECT UPDATE – The closing date for applicatins has now passed and interviews will be held in the near future. 

CCTV Butterwick Hospice. A day centre hospice in Woodhouse Lane, Bishop Auckland provides a valuable service for day care, pain relief and treatment for Heart & Neuro Patients. The building has suffered damage and minor theft by children climbing on to the roof on a night time and at weekends. £4,000 has been used to purchase two CCTV cameras which are linked via their website to their Hospice at Stockton so the building at Bishop Auckland can be monitored 24/7 and incidents reported direct to the police. The system has the facility to record evidence for prosecution purposes. PROJECT UPDATE- The CCTV cameras were installed on the 20th January 2010 and are running successfully. 

Looking through the Peephole. This bid, for £1000, has been used to purchase a number of security peepholes and security chains which are being fitted to the front doors of elderly residents’ homes in Horden. Local residents have a fear of bogus callers and have voiced their concerns at local PACT & community meetings. The peepholes are being fitted free of charge by a local charity group. It is hoped that the fitting of these devises will give residents improved security and confidence. PROJECT UPDATE-  By the end of February 2010 100 peepholes and security chains had been installed.

Tanfield Lea Drop In. Tanfield Lea, near Stanley has had problems with young people on their streets and anti-social behaviour. The community centre at Tanfield decided to do something about the problem a couple of years ago by opening a drop in club for young people between the ages of 13-18 years. This initiative has been very successful. This successful for £9,700 is being used to run further drop in clubs so that children between the ages of 7-11 years, 11-13 years and 13-18 years can attend and be engaged in meaningful activities. PROJECT UPDATE- These sessions are now up and running.

Skerne Park Youth & Community Centre. Skerne Park is a  part of Darlington which has suffered for many years with anti-social behaviour and other local problems. A youth/ community centre has been in existence on the edge of this council estate for many years but is in a poor state of repair. As a result attendance by young people is small. This bid for £37, 500 submitted by the Development officer for Darlington Borough Council, is being used to pay for improved lighting on the outside of the building, a good general clean up, installation of CCTV cameras and new signage to the building. It is expected that this will encourage improved attendance at the centre and reduce the fear of crime. PROJECT UPDATE – Currently the Borough Council are making arrangements for the work to be carried out.

Click here to visit the community Cashback website for further details about the scheme http://cashback.cjsonline.gov.uk

 

Local Justice Champions Honoured
 

Our local justice champions received official recognition for 'going the extra mile', at the recent Justice Awards ceremony. His Hon Judge Richard Lowden from Durham Crown Court presented the awards to the 10 teams and individuals who were nominated for their dedication and commitment in their work in the criminal justice system.

The 2009 Justice Awards had fifteen categories ranging from work with victims and witnesses through to efforts made to engage local communities. These are split into individual and team awards.

In brief this year’s awards went to:-

  • The Youth Offending Team of Co Durham for its pioneering work in creating solutions to reduce the number of young people who enter the criminal justice system.
  • Caroline Airs of the CPS for her dedicated work for diversity including the setting up a homophobic and transphobic scrutiny panel for the North East.
  • Michael Cassidy of Her Majesty’s Prison Service for his excellent work with young offenders in Low Newton Prison, Durham.
  • Grahame Greener for showing outstanding commitment to Low Newton Prison’s Primrose Programme for Dangerous People with Severe Personality Disorder, gaining the trust and respect of women who have been physically, mentally and/or sexually abused, and subsequently find it hard to trust men. For many, the trust they have for Grahame marks the start of their rehabilitation process.
  • The four Independent Advisory Groups consisting of (1) Black & Minority Ethnic (2) disability (3) LGBT and (4) young people were nominated by a senior manager for the Courts for their excellent work in giving advice and guidance to CJS agencies.
  • The staff of the Magistrates Court in South Durham were nominated for a partnership award.
  • Pauline Holbrook who is a volunteer support worker for Newcastle College for her excellent work with young offenders at HMYOI Deerbolt Prison
  • The PASRO (Prisons Addressing Substance Related Offending) team who deliver a cognitive behaviour drug treatment programme are nominated for their excellent work within Durham Prison.
  • The Employer Engagement team which has operated very successfully within HM Prison Durham was nominated for the excellent work with offenders in teaching them to become chefs and waste management operatives. They were featured on a Look North Programme.
  • The Citizenship Implementation & Evaluation Team who are employed by the National Probation service were recognised for their excellent particularly in the fields of public protection.
Well done to all those nominees!


Inequality is history in County Durham and Darlington justice services
 

As national celebrations get underway to mark Black History Month this October, local justice services are looking back at all the hard work that has been done over recent years to make sure the system is fair to everyone and that it puts all victims at the heart of the service.

National stories about bad treatment for victims of crime from particular cultural backgrounds and suggestions that staff of BME origin encounter barriers to progression in their careers in criminal justice service agencies have reduced public confidence in the system. The aim in County Durham & Darlington in recent years has been to make sure the local services show no prejudice and a great deal of work has gone into realising this goal.

Just some of the work that has taken place includes: the establishment of local advisory groups made up of members of the public which now meet with criminal agency staff on a regular basis to review policies and advise on practice; studies with staff of Black and Minority Ethnic origin to track their recruitment and progression in their jobs to make sure they receive equal treatment; and research to establish whether offenders receive consistent treatment from the criminal justice agencies throughout the system regardless of their cultural background.

However some of the most important pieces of work have focused on making sure that the victims of crime feel confident enough to report it and that they receive the best service possible from the criminal justice services. The introduction of Sensitive Case Courts dealing with cases involving hate crimes, which can include racially motivated crimes, ensure that those victims feel they have a safe place to see the justice process through to its conclusion, new reporting facilities have been put in place so that victims of hate crime can report a crime independently if they lack the confidence to approach the Police directly, and a series of training events for frontline staff have helped inform them on how to deal with a victim of honour based violence so that they are able to cater for the very sensitive issues that surround this emotive crime.

Chair of the Local Criminal Justice Board and Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary Jon Stoddart champions the diversity work that takes place with the different agencies and comments: “In this age of a multi-cultural society it is vital that criminal justice not only reflects this society make-up but also does everything possible to ensure equality in justice for everyone no matter what their cultural background is. We take this challenge extremely seriously and are very lucky to have some highly committed members of the community to scrutinise our work and challenge us on matters. We must not forget that County Durham & Darlington is a safe place to live, but it’s our job to make sure that if you are a victim of crime you feel confident enough to report it and see the justice process through to the end. This is the only way we can make the streets you live on even safer in the future.”


CONFIDENCE 2009 - JUSTICE WILL BE DONE
May 12th 2009
 

Gay hate crime across the North East is far more widespread than official figures suggest.

Victims suffering verbal abuse or physical assault are often reluctant to report it, fearing their complaint may not be taken seriously and no-one will be prosecuted.

Last weekend, a unique event was staged to push home the message that crime committed against a person because of their sexuality will not be tolerated and every effort will be made to bring offenders to justice.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender communities were invited to attend Confidence 2009, organised by the County Durham and Darlington Criminal Justice Board.

Keynote speakers included Durham’s Chief Crown Prosecutor Chris Enzor and Durham’s Chief Constable Jon Stoddart.

The event explored the way crimes against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities can be reported, the support available to both victims and witnesses, and how the criminal justice system operates.

Prior to the event, Chris Enzor explained: “It is extremely difficult to paint a true picture of how prevalent transphobic and homophobic hate crime is across the North East. However, we do know that victims can be reluctant to come forward and that crimes where people are targeted because of their sexual orientation are far more widespread than the figures suggest.

“We would be careless to ignore that there is a cynicism attached to the criminal justice system within the LGBT communities, a view that these crimes sometimes aren’t taken seriously. At this event, we want to send out a very clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and where possible, justice will be done."

If you would like more information about how to report a hate crime, or details about the support that is available to you if you are a victim, click here.
 

 

Local People Judge for Themselves
 

Local residents took on the role of the Judge for the day on 24th April at Bowburn Community Centre as they got the chance to see ‘Inside Justice’.

The County Durham Residents Association (CDRA)* event was planned by local people for local people, who got the chance to learn more about the Criminal Justice System and how they can help mould a local service to fit local needs.

Staff from the criminal justice agencies were on hand to answer questions and offer advice on subjects ranging from the sentencing of offenders to victim support and community payback.

During the morning residents took part in ‘You be the Judge’ interactive sessions looking at real cases and suggesting the sentencing they would like to have seen. In the afternoon there was a choice of four breakout groups to attend:

- Victim Support
- Youth crime and sentencing
- Community Payback
- Community Safety

The event proved a great success with staff and residents alike expressing their enjoyment of the activities on offer. We hope to run further events with the same theme across the County over coming months.

* The County Durham Residents Association (CDRA) is a county wide group formed by residents to ensure they have a voice on matters that effect their lives.

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