Justice system 'one of the best'

SUFFOLK'S justice system is one of the best in the country, according to a Government report published today.But Ken Caley, Suffolk chief crown prosecutor, warned it was important not to get carried away by the success and promised to carry on the hard work and improvements in the future.

SUFFOLK'S justice system is one of the best in the country, according to a Government report published today.

But Ken Caley, Suffolk chief crown prosecutor, warned it was important not to get carried away by the success and promised to carry on the hard work and improvements in the future.

The comments were made after Suffolk Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was one of only three organisations in the country to be given an overall grade of “Excellent” in a report by HMCPS Inspectorate.

The county was awarded a rating of “Good” in 12 of the 14 categories on which it was marked with the other two - ensuring successful outcomes to cases and securing community confidence - rated “Excellent”.

Mr Caley said: “We are obviously absolutely delighted particularly because it is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, along with our criminal justice partners, for what they have achieved.

“With experienced lawyers giving sound initial advice we have helped strengthen the prosecution process and this has helped us to score highly in achieving successful outcomes, both in the magistrates' courts and in the crown court.

“This is important because it demonstrates we are performing well across the board and getting witnesses and victims to court on the day and making sure they feel comfortable by answering any questions they might have.”

He said many people were intimidated by the court process but the CPS was dedicated to ensuring they were guided through the experience.

However Mr Caley assured the CPS would not be getting complacent and there were a number of ongoing and future initiatives aimed at maintaining the high performance levels.

“The policy of lawyers giving early advice to police is only six months in so it is early doors and we need to make sure it is working properly.

“No Witness No Justice is also relatively new and we have now established four witness care units specifically to support victims and witnesses and provide a single point of contact to update, explain and assist witnesses through the court process.

“Beyond that we have obviously got the police force mergers coming up and we will continue to co-operate with Suffolk Constabulary, and all our criminal justice partners, to ensure we are a continued success.”