Agenda and draft minutes

None.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgment of the public interest and if this interest affects their financial position or the financial position of a person or body as described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct and/or if it relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to them or any person or body described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct.

None.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.  Late items will be considered under the agenda items where they appear.  New items will be dealt with at item X below.

None.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of 2 November 2009 (attached). 

AGREED:

That the minutes of the meeting of 2 November 2009 be approved.

To receive the views of representatives from following services:

·              The Police Service

·              Crown Proseuction Service

·              Haringey and Enfield Magistrates Courts

The Panel received evidence from the following:

·        Pete Dickson from the Police Service

·        Hywel Ebsworth fro the Crown Prosecution Service;

·        Stephen Carroll from the Courts Service.

Mr Dickson reported that, together with the Crown Prosecution Service, he led an integrated prosecution team.  This was based in Lymington Avenue, Wood Green.  A range of support was provided. This included crime prevention advice, specialist assistance and support from Victim Support.  Support could also be co-ordinated by specialist teams for victims of particular crimes such as sex offences.  It was available right through the criminal justice process and could continue afterwards. 

The Victims Charter had set time limits for keeping people informed of progress with cases and the service strived to comply with these.  Victims were informed within 24 hours if an arrest was made.  There were also particular timescales for informing victims if an individual was charged or pleaded guilty.  Efforts were made to arrange court dates that were convenient to victims and witnesses, who were informed as soon as a date was set. 

There were strong links with the CPS, with whom they jointly ran the Witness Care Unit (WCU).  They aimed to develop an ongoing relationship with victims and witnesses.  One particular purpose of this was to determine whether witnesses were getting more nervous.  In such circumstances, they could put them in touch with the Witness Service.  Special measures could be applied for if the witness was vulnerable or intimidated.  This was done by application to the court.  The Witness Service could arrange a pre trial visit to the court so that witnesses could familiarise themselves with the surroundings.   Whilst it was possible for witnesses to bump into defendants, there were separate facilities for them so that the chances of contact could be minimised.  One particular problem was that there was only one entrance to the Crown Court at Wood Green so it was not possible to separate victims and witnesses on their way in.

A wide range of assistance could be provided such as transport to court, taxis, childcare, hotels and even flights.  However, these could constitute a cost pressure on the Police.  Sometimes they did not become aware that a witness was required until a comparatively late stage.  The service had a good record on getting witnesses to court – only two to three were lost, on average, every month.  The service was supported by Victim Support PCSOs would undertook general administration duties.  The prosecution team took over once an individual had been charged.  Before this stage, it was the responsibility of the Detective Inspector to liaise with witnesses.  Merely attending court was a hugely important step as it was a common defence tactic to see if the prosecution were able to get their witnesses to court.  This was especially common in domestic violence cases.  If the defendant saw evidence that the witness had the courage to go to court, they often caved in.  However, they lost the opportunity to gain the maximum discount on their sentence  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.