Local Awards 2007
The nominations for the Justice Awards 2007 for Hertfordshire are:
Individual Awards Team Awards
- Dr Mohamed El Sharkawy Koop Team
- Iain Day Girls Group
- Mark Bennett CPS Management Team
- June Charmichael
- Lawrence Williams
- Sheila Addison
- Mark Custerson
- Richard Marsh
Chief Constable Frank Whiteley
Chief Constable Frank Whiteley opened the ceremony by saying: "High Sheriff, Ladies and Gentlemen, as Chair of the Hertfordshire Criminal Justice Board, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the second Hertfordshire Criminal Justice Awards.
I’m delighted to highlight so many individual and team achievements, across the agencies within the Criminal Justice System in Hertfordshire. Represented here today are Police, Prison Service, Crown Courts, Magistrates Courts, Youth Offending Teams, National Probation Service and the Crown Prosecution Service, together with voluntary sector organisations working with victims, witnesses, defendants or offenders.
Since its establishment in 2003, the Hertfordshire Criminal Justice Board has worked tirelessly to help redress the balance, putting communities and victims of crime at the forefront of each partner’s business.
Whilst there is much work still to be done, we have already achieved a great deal in our four overarching aims of
- bringing more offenders to justice
- tackling prolific and dangerous offenders
- delivering speedier and more effective justice through our courts
- increasing public confidence in criminal justice
Some of our achievements since last year include:
- Offenders brought to justice is currently sitting 13.9% above the end of year target at 26,628 to the latest figures.
- The catch and convict strand of the Prolific Offender initiative is focused on arresting, disrupting and reducing offending of PPO classified individuals.Hertfordshire compares extremely well with similar forces against the measures of arrests and convictions. For rehabilitate and resettle strand, the new Choices and Consequences programme is aimed at giving an offender a new start at living a crime-free life.
- Youth prolific offenders now receive one of the fastest criminal justice system services in the country, from arrest to sentence, an average of 56 days.All youth cases are achieving the local target for timeliness, and adult case timeliness is improving with the implementation of the CJSSS principles.
- Overall, Hertfordshire has an excellent record of public confidence in the criminal justice system. This has been maintained , and we are undertaking a full programme of engagement and communication projects, to increase confidence still further. Hertfordshire is currently ranked 7th best in the country, from results of the British Crime Survey.
As we move towards the implementation of CJSSS, the challenges ahead will be greater, but the success of our collaborative working partnership that is HCJB is an excellent platform on which to build, and I am confident that we will continue to go from strength to strength.
Moving to today’s awards, as you know, the local individuals and teams were nominated for the National Justice Awards, the results of which were announced on Monday. I am therefore delighted that Mohamed El Sharkawy is here to receive his local award, having won a National Justice Award for Outstanding Achievement for his youth project.
All of you should be proud of your achievements thus far, particularly those who were short listed for a national award. Today’s awards are about true partnership working, as we recognise, within various categories, the outstanding contribution of individual and teams.
We are grateful that the High Sheriff, Howard Guard, has kindly agreed to present the awards on behalf of the HCJB
DR MOHAMED EL SHARKAWY
When Dr. Mohamed El Sharkawy joined HMP The Mount as an Imam in 2002 he found that some prisoners felt uncomfortable attending the Bible based offending behaviour course which was the only one available. Although a Muslim scholar, Mohamed has studied Christianity and Judaism. He felt compelled to address these prisoners’ need and developed an offending behaviour programme, which he called Justice Awareness. He wanted to design a course which would be appropriate to people of all faiths and to those with none. The course explores the story of Joseph’s imprisonment, release, forgiveness of his family and reconciliation, which is part of three major faiths and provides a metaphor that is readily shared amongst the diverse cultures that make up the population of The Mount. Justice Awareness also encompasses restorative issues. Mohamed developed the course in his own time, and provided the course materials from his own pocket for this first year. Justice Awareness is an accredited course and is built into the sentence plans of many prisoners at The Mount. Each course runs over 7 weeks and includes assignments to be completed back in the cell, all more work that Mohamed reviews in his own time. Mohamed runs five courses a year, each holding about twenty-five prisoners. In fact 331 prisoners have graduated in the last three years. Only about 20% of course attendees are Muslim. Justice Awareness leads prisoners to accept that their crimes have real victims. It then leads them to consider the wide range of the damage that they have done to the direct victim and also collaterally to their family and society. The attendees then look at how they can compensate for their crime, apologise and seek forgiveness and reconciliation and then move forward. Some students were so changed by the course that they individually approached Mohamed to help regain contact with their alienated families. Mohamed has gone out and visited families, acted as an intermediary and organised family reconciliation visits at the prison. In many of these cases the direct victims have been family members and the restorative justice is within the family which is so vital to resettlement and reducing re-offending after the prisoner returns to society. Justice Awareness has subsequently been adopted at HMP Bullingdon and in August Mohamed will be training staff from 7 other prisons. 
Iain Day
The work carried out by the Keep Out Of Prison (KOOP) project at HMP The Mount is a valuable and well supported project in conjunction with Hertfordshire Constabulary and The Youth Justice Board. The project aims to take young people from within the local community/area from the ages of 15 to 17 and show them the realistic and negative effect that coming into custody - in particular prison custody can have on them and their families. The work carried out is part of the process that also links in with Hertfordshire Constabulary which aims this project at what would be assessed as high risk of re-offending young people. The visits aim to take the young people through the typical day in the life of a prisoner at HMP The Mount, this process is assisted by suitably assessed serving prisoners in the establishment who give a real and true picture of life in custody. There is also a link with the Offender Management Unit here at The Mount as one of the Probation Service Officers (PSO's) gives up her free time to assist with the project which has proven invaluable with the advice and experience of going through the criminal justice system and how it works from both sides of the fence. From May 06 to December 06 there were 6 visits to The Mount involving 36 young people, out of those only 9 went on to reoffend, all of those who attended thought the prison enviroment was worst than expected. In 2007 there has been a slight delay in getting young people into the establishment as some of the prisoners selected for KOOP have been moved to other establishments, however that said Iain Day has managed to see and assess more suitable prisoners and we have had 17 young people visit the establishment during May/June 2007 with another 15 booked for August 2007.
Mark Bennett
Mark works in South Herts Youth Offending Team and has made an outstanding contribution to working with young offenders since he joined the team two years ago. He is employed as a professional assistant and manages reparation projects and a case load of referral orders. Mark has been responsible for organising some innovative projects in the community to prevent young people from re- offending and assisting them to accept the responsibility of their actions.Examples including setting up a project with the fire service for young people who have committed vehicle offences, this involved a programme of vehicle safety awareness, a first aid course and finished with a mock accident at the Fire station with five vehicles simulating a crash The young people took the role of trapped passengers and were cut out of the cars , allowing the fire fighters to practice using the equipment and techniques to release people safety . This had a huge impact on the young people who could see how their behaviour could affect the wider community and if they were to cause an accident being an illegal driver how many resources they could potentially use. Another poject has been in response to a number of young people being charged with firearm offences including possession of CS gas . Mark contacted the County firearms unit to arrange for a visit for a young person on a referral order to talk to officers about the implications of having imitation including the risk involved . He was shown a number of firearms, some imitation and some real and he was asked to identify the difference, he identified only two correctly. this had a powerful impact on the young man as he realised that when faced with some one with a gun the police had to make a quick decision whether the firearm was real or imitation and he realised that he could have been shot. The young persons evaluation of the experience has been so positive that this has been rolled out to the whole of Hertfordshire Youth Offending Service. 
June Charmichael
June started her "Civil Service" life working for the Foreign Office in 1965. Then June went to Post Office Telecoms in 1969 on promotion to what was then Executive Officer. June left in 1976 to have a family before returning to the civil service in the Lord Chancellors Department in summer of 1988 as a Clerical Officer, starting her career in the Criminal Justice System. June performed all the clerical roles of that grade that still underpin all court processes today. In particular the jury officer role which is ultimately customer focused, needing daily engagement with the public that are performing the service and whose co operation the courts need. This often requires excellent interpersonal skills to overcome any resistance to performing their duty. Whilst in the list office June introduced a new system for listing appeals which shortened delays between appeal notices being served and the appeal being heard which could only benefit everyone involved.In 1994 June was temporarily promoted to Executive Officer in the list office where she was responsible for the perfomance and development of junior staff. June has always known the importance of the performance of the list office, the need for accurate information,positive case management and the negative and public impact mistakes being made can have on public confidence. This was evident in the standard to which her staff performed. In 1996 June moved to Southwark Crown on substantive promotion to Executive Officer as a Court Clerk where she stayed for 2 years. Part of her role involved case managing complex and large fraud/international stock and shares type cases. June came back to St Albans Crown in 1998 as General Office Supervisor with line management responsibilites for 3 staff. During that time CDMIS was implemented and June was heavily involved in our role as a proving court. A year later she took up court clerking again. In the year 2000 June was responsible for the successful implementation of JUROR another new IT system at St Albans Crown. For her role which included training she received a local reward. June has an excellent understanding of all the IT and has been Systems Manager. In October 2004 June was temporarily promoted to Span 6 Listing officer and was made substantive this summer. June has a wealth of experience which positively contributes every day to driving this demanding business forward.
June was unable to attend the ceremony.
Lawrence Williams
Lawrence started as a Casual Clerical Officer at Watford County bailiff returns regarding enforcement. He was promoted in 1988 to Executive Officer. In 1995 he was promoted again to Higher Executive Officer and left Watford as a result to become the Court Manager at St Albans County Court. Over the next few years he did 2 spells as Court Manager at that court with a return to Watford in between to cover the Court Manager post there.One of Lawrences biggest achievements whilst at St Albans County Court was successfully leading his Court to gain Chartermark. Lawrence came to St Albans Crown 6 years ago. Since that time he has 2 spells as Office Manager and 1 as the List Officer. Lawrence both in the County Court and now in Crown is respected by Judiciary, Court Users and staff alike for the standard to which he executes all his duties and the fact that because he has so much experience he is an invaluable reference point in repect of administrative and court room procedures. Lawrences commitment to the business and it's goals is unquestionable and he has cancelled annual leave on more than one occasion to make sure we have enough staff to run the courtrooms. Lawrence is our Customer Service Officer and is now heavily involved in the Areas application to renew Chartermark which adds significant pressure to his already heavy daily workload. On a more recreational note Lawrence still plays football for the department namely the Provad Rovers team and in the past has played in 3 LCD/DCA cup finals. He has also been the treasurer of the DCA Sports and Social Association since 1995.
Mark Custerson
The re-invigoration of Neighbourhood Watch locally started approximately 3 years ago in 2005. Former Supt. Mark Custerson was tasked to take up the Project Management lead for this topic, and has taken it from strength to strength. The road to get to meaningful and productive local community engagement is a bumpy one, however when done with consultation and consideration becomes a very powerful mechanism for improvement. Over the last three years Mark has formulated a structure which is now held up as best practice, and is being shared with other counties. The structure consists of a Police Watch Liaison Officer (WLO) for each of the 10 CDRP's being the single point of contact for the approximate 5000 strong army of Herts Watch Coordinators around the county. The Coordinators have approximately 100,000 households actively engaged in scheme activities, with countless more indirectly engaged with information being shared through the door via newsletters. The WLO's and Coordinators jointly arrange the local community meetings and undertake the detailed consultation of the local communities represented to ensure all concerns are raised and feed into the intelligence model for the Police use to task and act on. This pro-active approach is the underpinning structure of raising confidence locally and reducing crime for individuals, communities and the county as a whole. The two way communication between the public of Herts and the Police has been immeasurably increased via the meetings but further supported by an initiative that Mark Custerson arranged to have a specific telephone number to be distributed to Herts Watch members to access the Police Control Room, to avoid any delay in passing real time intelligence into the Police network. A robust network of resilience and succession planning to the local Coordinators has also been set up to avoid loss of contact should any member move on for any reason. The local road signage notifying of streets operating a Watch scheme have been increased demonstrating the increased take up of the scheme. Neighbourhood Watch is now the largest voluntary group in the country, and is only set to grow within the Police structure with Mark Custerson working to drive the partnership ethic nationally on behalf of Frank Whiteley the ACPO lead for Neighbourhood Watch. The scheme cuts through all race, culture and community boundaries as every member of the public wants a reduction in local crime.
Richard Marsh
Richard started working in the courts on the 10th of August 1971 when it was the Lord Chancellors Department. He started at Luton County Court as a Clerical Officer issuing summonses, doing general administrative work and sitting in with the Judges. He was then promoted to Executive Officer in 1977 which gave rise to a move to Watford County Court where he managed the enforcement section. In July 1979 he moved again to St Albans County Court on the same grade but effectively became second in command. In 1990 he transferred on level transfer to the larger Luton County Court as a section leader. In 1991 he transferred on level transfer to Hemel Hempstead but effectively became Court Manager. In 1996 he trasferred briefly to Watford County again as a section leader running issue and enforcement. In September 1996 for a change and his development he came on level transfer to St Albans Crown as a Court Clerk, the role in which he currently remains today. Richard has therefore spent nearly 36 years in the service. During that time has adapted to a huge amount of change, effectively served in at least half of the County Courts in Hertfordshire and a spell across the border in Bedfordshire. He has contributed to the development of many junior officers and for 4 years he was a Departmental Job Skill Trainer teaching others about issuing enforcement and adoption to name but a few subjects. This role required him to travel to the courts around the county to do training on site and he was often needed at the main training centre in London where trainees went from all over the country. Richard is known for his steadfast commitment, reliability and eye to detail. The latter quality pays particular dividends in making sure results of his and his colleagues cases are accurate with the PNC in mind. His expertise lends itself to spotting things that might go wrong in court and he has been of great support and guidance to new Recorders. He is well liked and respected by all manner of court users and levels of Judiciary he meets on a daily face to face basis, presenting as someone who is professional and in whom anyone can have confidence that he knows what he is doing and if there is a problem it will be swiftly resolved.
Richard was unable to attend the ceremony.
KOOP Team
Keep Out Of Prison (KOOP) started at HMP The Mount in 2003. It deters young people who have had a brush with the law from further offending. The Mount runs a session every month for around 10 young males between 14 and 18. They will generally have been in trouble with the Police and may have a recorded caution. Sometimes local Youth Panels recommend KOOP. Candidates arrive at The Mount and are searched by a Prison Officer. Items banned from prison, such as tobacco and mobile phone are taken away for the duration of the visit. The group then tours the prison and experiences being locked in a cell and the feel of prison life. A special group of prisoners give a presentation about prison life, inviting some of the young people to role play in common scenarios of prison life. The prisoners describe how they fell into crime at a young age and the effect that long prison sentences have had on their lives, relationships and prospects. Rarely, does a candidate leave the session unmoved. Prison Officer Iain Day started KOOP in 2003 and has been running it ever since. Iain selects and trains the KOOP Team prisoners, who generally spend a year in the team. Although KOOP is directed at young people, it provides an excellent opportunity for prisoners to put something back. All the prisoners are sincere and the sessions are a moving mixture of comedy and pathos. Iain tells the young candidates that they have been given a rare opportunity to glimpse where they may be heading. Iain frequently swaps shifts and attends The Mount in his own time to deliver KOOP. Fellow team member Michelle Borg is a Probation Service Officer working at The Mount. Michelle organises all the sessions and helps with the delivery. She then catches up with her work in her own time. David W Graham MBE Independent Monitoring Board National Council has added: “KOOP reinforces that a youngster has choices, but in making some of them he/she may be deciding to follow a path which inevitably leads to custody. The programme encourages the participants to re-think and re-evaluate their choices and lifestyles. The prisoners consider their own offending behaviour contributing to their own rehabilitation and reduction in re-offending.
Girls Group
Three members of Hertfordshire Youth Justice Service ran a Girls programme for eight weeks earlier this year.They were Maggie Wiggins, shelley Hayles and Carol Simpson The aim of the programme was to raise their awareness of specfic issues which would help them stay safe and prevent further offending. It was also intended to help other yot practitioners develop a better understanding of the needs of girls who offend and to develop more effective programmes to prevent or reduce re - ffending. Sessions included personal safety and exploring relationships relationships, a first aid course with a facilitator from St John's ambulance, alcohol and substance misuse awareness. A sexual health session facilitaed by a worker from the sexual health unit. The consequences of further offending was addressed and a visit to HMP Cookham Wood was organised with the deputy governor to raise their understanding of the implications of serving a custodial sentence. The girl's were given a guided tour of the new wing for females at Cookham Wood and given talks by the prison Officers on the realities of prison life, they also had the opportunity to meet some of the female prioners and were finally given a tour of the main female wing in the prison, so they were able to draw comparisons between the new unit and the main prison.The programme has been evaluated by the Policy and development manager from Hertfordshire Youth Justice Service and each of the girl's who attended have given feedback on how useful they found the group and what they learned from the sessions.
CPS Management Team
This team is the only Area in CJBs nationally to achieve one hundred per cent performance for three consecutive months May to July 2007 in respect of timeliness of communications of communications to victims where prosecutions have been dropped. This is an obligation under the Vicitm's Code and contributes to improving our service delivery to victims of crime by providing them with timely information and a proper explanation about the progress of their case. To achieve this record the team have had to work closely together to design new systems that would ensure that all appropriate cases were properly identified and given immediate priority. The managers team then had to train all of the rest of their staff in the new procedures and gain their commitment and understanding that this obligation was one of our most important obligations. The performance officer had to interrogate the mangementinformation system daily to check that no cases were missed and draw these to managers attention suffciently quickly for them to meet the timeliness standard. As a result of their success they have been giving advice and support to colleagues in other Areas about what systems are needed to ensure the appropriate standards are met.
