Are you in a neighbourhood crime and justice pioneer area? Mmm, I wasn’t sure either, but just for the record, I’m not.

Actually, I wasn’t terribly sure what one was, but whatever it is, it sounds like it needs a coordinator. A stroke of luck then that the government has committed £5.6m to support the spankingly new Neighbourhood Crime & Justice Pioneer Areas in 2008/09 and 2009/10.

Apparently, areas were invited to bid to become Pioneer Areas on the basis of a variety of data including deprivation, population size and crime information. However, equally important in agreeing bids was their determination to work with local communities to address local concerns about crime, anti-social behaviour and justice. 

So far, 60 areas across the country have signed up to become new neighbourhood crime and justice pioneer areas. They new will each appoint a dedicated person, a neighbourhood crime and justice (NCJ) coordinator, and their role looks like an interesting and potentially influential one, ensuring that community payback is visible and tough, that victims of crime are supported to reduce re-offending and that the public know the rights that the policing pledge gives them.  
It will be interesting to see how these roles develop. Whether they become administrational or whether (and there appears plenty of scope for this) they become more high profile and interventionist. They are certainly being seen as ‘a dedicated resource to act on the public’s behalf to make sure that justice is done and seen to be done in their local communities.’

In more detail their role will be to:

• let the public know their entitlement in the policing pledge so that they know their rights, know who their neighbourhood policing team are, how they can hold them to account and the minimum level of service they should expect
• open up the criminal justice system so that there are clear and public consequences for criminals that the public get to know about, including more visible community payback
• ensure that services and support for victims and witnesses like separate seating arrangements at court are up to scratch

Full details and all the areas can be found here.

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2. 10 top approaches the public want in policing
3. Working on the chain gang…
4. Social engineering and policing
5. So what is the priority in your area?