J.P. training aid sought

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 34

J.P. training aid sought

PA Wellington The Government must help with training Justices of the Peace so they could be more effective, the registrar of the Royal Federation of Justices Association, Mr G. L. Osborne, has said. Mr Osborne said it was essential that Justices of the Peace be informed of law and procedure changes and court decisions. But until 1977, when the federation appointed its unpaid director of training, a lack of information had led to errors and a big decline in J.P.’s duties. “There was a constant lack of knowledge on the part of justices as to law changes,” Mr Osborne said.

“This was largely because no-one bothered to tell the justices of the day that the law had been changed.”

The federation was training J.P.s in the absence of Government support. It produced a quarterly journal of law changes to keep J.P.S up to date and each association trained J.P.s in a variety of duties. For many years the federation had pressed the Government for funds to establish a national training centre. “If we want to have ... good, efficient justices, then they must be given the means for doing their duties,” he said.