Bradford residents are to have their say on how criminals who blight their communities are dealt with by the courts.

New Community Justice Courts began sitting in Bradford this week to tackle crimes that most concern the people living in the communities.

The special courts will allow the public to suggest unpaid work tasks, like removing graffiti or cleaning up parks, for offenders to do.

Magistrates will be attending a number of community consultation events to seek the views and participation of local people and gain a better understanding of the impact quality of life' crimes have on a community.

The consultations, organised through Bradford Council's Neighbourhood Forums, will take place in the wards of City, Bowling and Barkerend, and Little Horton.

Mary Carroll, chairman of the Bradford Magistrates' Bench, said Community Justice Courts would take a different approach to traditional magistrates' courts.

She said: "We want to understand the real impact of crime on communities and to better understand what the factors are that have brought an offender before us. These events will provide a wonderful opportunity for us to listen to the public.

"We intend to build on the neighbourhood policing developments by giving feedback to residents on action taken to tackle specific issues and improvements made to the local community by offenders doing unpaid work."

A limited number of adult and youth Community Justice cases were being heard this week. But the special sittings will not deal with trials, more serious cases which have to go to the crown court or low level road traffic matters.

The Community Justice Courts will be able to use new powers to monitor the progress of offenders during their sentence and recall them to court after three months to make sure they are sticking with the programme handed out to them.

Justices' Clerk Peter Sherlock, of the West Yorkshire Courts Service, said a great deal of progress had been made since the go-ahead was given to develop community justice in Bradford.

He said: "Community justice is about making sure that local people have a say about what problems concern them most. Local people are at the heart of the initiative. No-one knows more about crime and anti-social behaviour than those who encounter it on a daily basis."

Community engagement sessions will be held at the Kidmat Centre on Wednesday, July 4; Mayfield Centre on Tuesday, July 10; Bollinghall Museum on Tuesday July 17; Surestart Barkerend on Thursday, July 19; and the Karmand Centre on Thursday, July 26.

Further information can be gained by visiting the website www.communityjustice.gov.uk.

e-mail: steve.wright @bradford.newsquest.co.uk