Achievements
CONFIDENCE IN THE CJS ON THE RISE
Public confidence in Wiltshire’s Criminal Justice System has risen over 7% in the last four years according latest figures. Over 49% of those asked they were very confident in the ability of the criminal justice system to bring offences to justice. Up from 42% in March 2003.
The Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board held a “Justice in Partnership” Open Day in Salisbury last month, to help raise the Board’s profile and increase confidence. Well over 1000 members of the public attended the event.
Surveys conducted throughout the day showed a marked improvement in both knowledge and confidence in the CJS in those who attended. 80% of respondents of the survey stated that they now knew “a lot” about the Criminal Justice System after their visit to the Open Day as apposed to 15% beforehand, also over half (57%) of those surveyed stated they now have an increased confidence in the CJS and nearly 30% stated that their confidence has increased “a lot” since the Open Day.
WILTSHIRE REMAINS ONE OF THE SAFEST COUNTIES
The Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board, which comprises of the Chief Officers from the County’s Courts, Crown Prosecution Service, Police, Probation Service and Youth Offending Teams, is delighted that Wiltshire and Swindon continues to remain one of the safest areas in England according to crime figures released today.
Nationally the recorded crime rate rose and this was reflected in Wiltshire where recorded crime rose by 2,106 to 42,181. Despite this increase Wiltshire remains the second safest county. The Home Office figures which cover the period from April 2005 to March 2006 also show that Wiltshire has a higher crime detection rate than the national average.
WILTSHIRE BRINGING RECORD NUMBER OF OFFENCES TO JUSTICE
Wiltshire has exceeded its target for bringing offences to justice two years earlier than projected, according to figures published on 27th April. 11,756 offences have been brought to justice in the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board region in the year ending December 2005. This represents an increase of 10.3% since March 2002. Public confidence, in the Criminal Justice System has also risen substantially from 42% in March 2002 to 48% in Dec 2005.
Diana Fulbrook, Chair of Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board, said:
“The results reflect the hard work and dedication of all of the criminal justice agencies and their staff. By meeting the offences brought to justice target earlier than expected, the local criminal justice agencies have demonstrated their determination to do all they can to make Wiltshire a safer place to live. Meeting the target for public confidence is also very encouraging. To be most effective, the Criminal Justice System needs to engage the people of Wiltshire in the delivery of justice and show that as individuals they can make a difference. The more information we can provide, the greater the public’s knowledge of the Criminal Justice System will be, thus increasing public confidence. We hope to increase confidence even further throughout the next year and we have a programme of work to make this happen. However, the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board and its component agencies are not complacent, we know there is room for further improvement and our aim is to maintain the momentum and continue to exceed our targets wherever we can.”
The performance figures published for the third quarter of 2005/06 show that:-
- The average time taken from arrest to sentence of persistent young offenders amounted to 63 days; this is well within the target figure of 71 days.
- The rate of ineffective trials in Magistrates’ Courts was 0.5% over the target figure of 20% Although the target was not achieved, there has been an overall reduction of 12% since September 2002, The Crown Court ineffective trial rate was 22.6% and did not achieve its target. However this was due to the small number of cases which cause the percentage rate to fluctuate widely from quarter to quarter.
- The Payment Rate for fines issued by the Courts was 83%. This surpassed the target of 81%
A GOOD DEAL FOR WITNESSES IN WILTSHIRE
Thursday 7th September was a landmark day for Wiltshire’s Witness Care Unit, based at the CPS Offices in Chippenham, as it received its final review and sign over arrangements from the national “No Witness, No Justice” team.
The Witness Care Unit brings together the Police, CPS and the voluntary sector in a collaborative arrangement and provides a personal service to witnesses based on their individual needs. This will help to ensure confidence and reassurance of witnesses, thus enabling them to support prosecutions and attend court to give evidence.
Giving evidence in court can be upsetting. The unit provides a single point of contact to make the experience less traumatic.
The review highlighted four key areas where Wiltshire’s Witness Care Unit excelled.
- Highly committed staff.
- Excellent multi agency working.
- Comprehensive services contact logs.
- Need assessments carried out of Victims and Witnesses.
The National “No Witness No Justice” team sets out sixteen minimal requirements for each Witness Care Unit. Wiltshire had no areas which were not met, and had many areas which were highlighted as good practice and were fully met.
Ken Godfrey, Manager of the Witness Care Unit said:
“This result had been down to hard work and dedication by all staff involved; it has proven the professionalism of the team and resulted in an excellent report. To be signed off with such positive comments from the national team is very pleasing. The timing of this news coincides with my impending retirement and will contribute to fond memories; I wish the Unit and its staff continued success in the future”
Diana Fulbrook, Chief Officer of Wiltshire Probation area and Chair of the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board said:
“This is a fantastic achievement for the Unit, it will mean a first class service for witnesses, who will get the support and information they need. Not only does the Unit aid us in getting more witnesses to attend court and bringing more offences to justice, it will help to increase the public’s confidence in the Criminal Justice System in Wiltshire”
Despite these promising results, the Witness Care Unit remains committed to improving the way in which it works to ensure that it provides a service which is effective, efficient and reflects the needs of witnesses in Wiltshire.
THE WITNESS CARE UNIT TEAM
WILTSHIRE YOS GET "GOOD" REPORT
WILTSHIRE’S Youth Offending Service (YOS) has been given a ‘good’ rating in its first inspection as part of the joint youth inspection programme. Wiltshire is the only service out of the 22 in the latest round of inspections, which started in September 2004, to be given a ‘good’ rating. The inspectors found that the members of the YOS were dedicated, hard working and committed to the work of the YOS.
The Inspectors found ‘some very good work’ and that the YOS executive board was well respected by partner agencies, functioned well and was working proactively with both local and national criminal justice agendas and priorities. Working in partnership, recruitment and training of staff were identified as strengths. The report also highlighted that the YOS was good at contacting victims of crime. Victims who were involved with the YOS expressed satisfaction with their experience.
Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for children and families, Mary Douglas, said:
“This is very good news. To be the only youth offending service in this round of inspections to be rated as good reflects extremely well on Wiltshire. I am pleased that the dedication and hard work of our staff has been recognised and that our commitment to work in partnership with other bodies has borne fruit".