12:36pm Thursday 19th March 2009
By Tomasz Johnson
The Crown Prosecution Service is hoping to open a specialist court devoted to dealing with domestic violence in Barnet.
Barnet Borough Crown Prosecutor Kwame Biney, who is in charge of all prosecutions in the borough aside from murders, revealed last week that statutory bodies working in the borough applied to the Ministry of Justice for permission to open the court.
It would deal exclusively with domestic violence cases and be teamed with specially trained magistrates and court staff, as well as support workers from other agencies to help victims and witnesses through the process.
Mr Biney said he hopes the court would reduce the number of cases which fall by the wayside.
Domestic violence cases are notoriously difficult to prosecute, with family members often reluctant to testify against family members.
Between April 2008 and the end of February this the CPS dealth with 248 domestic violence cases in Barnet, with a little under 60 per cent resulting in a conviction.
In that period Barnet Police received 1,427 reported offences of domestic violence.
639 people were cautioned or charged, above the Government’s targets for sanctioned detections for domestic crime, but hundreds fell by the wayside.
Mr Biney said: “The time the cases are going through the court can be very tough on victims.
“It [the court] would result in a lot more focus and support for victims both in court and outside the court environment.”
There are currently almost 100 Specialist Domestic Violence Courts around the country, and in October Home Secretary Jacqui Smith revealed plans to open six more.
The application was made jointly by Barnet CPS and Barnet Council, working together with voluntary sector organisations.
Mr Biney is expecting a response and feedback on the application from the Ministry of Justice in the coming months, and the decision will rest on whether or not the various different agencies involved have the capacity to support the court.
But he said the fact the application has been made at all is testament to the success of the borough's agencies working together.
“The major achievement is the multi-agency way of working, which increasingly is coming through as something we’re committed to and has allowed us to get to this point,” he said.
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