New NI justice agency 'is working well'

Northern Ireland Office minister John Spellar has welcomed a new report into criminal justice in Ulster.

The first annual report of Criminal Justice System Northern Ireland (CJSNI) was published on Tuesday and found that increased cooperation between agencies had borne fruit.

CJSNI brings together the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Northern Ireland Court Service, the Northern Ireland Office, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

In its first year it has encouraged the bodies to work more closely together in a bid to improve efficiency and fairness.

Speaking at the launch of the report Spellar said CJSNI had improved the public's confidence in a traditionally controversial area in cross-community relations.

"The primary role of this publication is to demonstrate clearly to the public that we are delivering a criminal justice system that serves and protects the people of Northern Ireland and in which the whole community can have confidence," he said.

"This report contains a great deal of good news; it shows how all of the criminal justice organisations are working towards a single vision to ensure a modern, effective and professional criminal justice system.

"It is vital that the CJSNI is accessible and responsive to the public it serves and the positive measures demonstrated in this report reflect its commitment to protect individuals and implement community safety measures.

"I hope that this report demonstrates that all of us, from ministerial level through to front line staff, are determined to ensure that the criminal justice system serves the community effectively, in partnership and with integrity."