Would you like to be a Magistrate?

NEW MAGISTRATES REQUIRED FOR YOUR LOCAL COURTS

Would YOU like to be a Magistrate?

Could YOU perform this valuable service for YOUR community?

The Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace for Gloucestershire has announced that it will be recruiting new Magistrates this year to start sitting in court in 2018.

Magistrates are volunteers who hear cases in local courts – they deal with around 95 per cent of criminal cases in England and Wales. There have been Justices of the Peace in this country for well over 600 years.

Applications are welcomed from anyone aged 18 and above; the retirement age for Magistrates is aged 70. Anyone who is interested in applying should contact the recruitment website at: www.gov.uk/become-magistrate for full details of the application process.

To maintain a Bench that is representative of the Community we would particularly like to encourage applications from men, members of Black and Minority Ethnic communities, people in paid employment and people with a disability.

Up to 12 vacancies exist in the local justice area of Gloucestershire.

The Lord Chancellor will not generally appoint anyone over the age of 65, because the Lord Chancellor would normally expect someone to be able to sit for at least 5 years before retirement.

It is essential that potential candidates observe a Magistrates Court hearing a variety of adult crime cases, on at least three occasions, prior to making the application and these must have been carried out within the last 12 months. Candidates will be interviewed by the Committee and those appointed following recommendation will receive full training before commencing their judicial duties.

Please note that the closing deadline for receipt of applications is 24 March 2017 or when 36 eligible applications are received.

If you require any further information, please contact Brenda Saturley by e-mailing brenda.saturley@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk or by telephoning 01823 285240