Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has today (16 December 2013) announced the establishment of a new Out of Court Disposal Scrutiny Panel.
The Chair of the panel will be independent of North Yorkshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and criminal justice agencies such as HM Courts & Tribunals Service and the Crown Prosecution Service.
The panel is being set up in response to public concerns about the use of Out of Court Disposals in North Yorkshire. The new panel will ensure these means of serving justice are appropriate to the case, are effective and in line with the wishes of victims as appropriate.
The first stage in setting up the panel is to appoint an independent Chair. The Chair will lead the Panel, so an individual with significant experience of the criminal justice world is needed. This many include victim champions or those with more formal expertise such as academics, legal professionals or coroners, for example.
In addition to the independent Chair, the panel will comprise a number of different individuals and agencies, including members of the public who have been victims of crime, operational police officers and magistrate representatives. The final make-up of the Panel and its exact Terms of Reference are still being finalised – the independent Chair will play a key role in its work programme and constitution.
The post is voluntary but expenses will be reimbursed. In the first instance interested applicants need to go to Julia’s website, www.northyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk, for more information.
Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said:
The public and magistrates have raised concerns with me for some time about the use of Out of Court Disposals, and this is an important step to ensuring they are used appropriately and scrutinised independently
We need to be certain that victims of crime are at the heart of these decisions, and that offenders are getting a suitable punishment for their crime.
The independent Chair will lead the Panel, making recommendations to the various organisations with responsibility for Out of Court Disposals, learning from best practice and making sure victims are front and centre of this process.
For more information, or to apply for the role, please email info@northyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk, or call the office on 01423 569562.
