21 October 2008
Banqueting House, Whitehall, London
Jack Straw has paid tribute to the winners of this year's Justice Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements by those working in the front line of the criminal justice system.
The Right Honourable Jack Straw MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice:
Good afternoon.
It is a great delight to be here today in this historic building which itself has seen the delivery of simple, speedy and summary justice. It was from here that Charles I was led out to the block.
I am one of the three criminal justice ministers trying to change the criminal justice system into a service, but it is the work that you and your colleagues do that makes the real difference. Crime has fallen by a third over the last 10/11 years, however it is measured. In my constituency of Blackburn I know from people's comments and the local newspaper that people feel safer and that is down to the way that you and your colleagues have transformed the system.
You go the extra mile, whether that is at the end of a phone or face to face with victims, responding to the human needs of the people you deal with. For example, phoning people back when you say you will stops people feeling powerless and shows respect to the public.
So, on behalf of the government - well done, and thank you for the excellent work you do.
Before the winners of the 15 categories are announced, I want to look back to last year's ceremony, when I was invited to present The People's Award. That award is slightly different to the others, in that nominees are subject to a public vote.
The People's Award is again in partnership with The Daily Mirror this year, and readers of that paper have been voting since last week to determine the winner of the trophy and £1,000 cheque for a justice charity of their choice.
Five extraordinary stories are shortly going to be brought to life for you - the story of a teenager running an activities centre to occupy children, of a woman helping girls to turn away from alcoholism and violent behaviour, of a man educating children about the dangers of knife crime, of two police officers answering a young girl's cry for help, and of an engineer working to reintegrate offenders into the community.
These stories have struck a chord with the public and demonstrate the ability of devoted individuals like yourselves to change the justice system and service for the better.
But first I want to introduce you to one of last year's finalists - Ewan Easton, whose story really resonated with me - and to see how he has been getting on since last year.
Further details of the awards, including photos, quotes and interviews with all the winners, are available from the Justice Awards website.
The Justice Awards is part of Inside Justice Week, an annual campaign to raise public awareness of the work of the criminal justice system. Open days at courts and police stations, mock trials and other events are taking place across England and Wales.