7. Recording And
Identifying Details of Knight’s Justice of Peace
The present recording of Knight’s Justice of Peace
detailed by the Secretary General’s Department gives all
Knight’s Justice of Peace appointed a unique registration
number. It is a condition of appointment that the number
must be quoted on all signed documents following the
Knight’s Justice of Peace signature. Additionally,
Knight’s Justice of Peace receives a Certificate of
Appointment at the time of appointment, and can re-apply to
the Secretary for a duplicate Certificate.
However, there is photographic
identification, which clearly links the person purporting to
be a Knight’s Justice of Peace with the registration
number or name on the certificate and then confirming with
the Secretary General's Department that the named person is
a Knight’s Justice of Peace, there is no way of confirming
the person is a Knight’s Justice of Peace.
8. Applicants to
the Office of Knight’s Justice of Peace should possess
what Qualifications?
It is apparent that the most important skill required is
the skill of communication, both oral and written. The
applicant should also have a basic working knowledge of
legal issues and be in a position to understand and meet the
needs of the community he or she is serving.
It is proposed that a council, before
recommending that a person be appointed, certify to the
Secretary General that the applicant has sufficient
communication skills to provide the required service. This
certification would serve as the principal focus to
determine whether the applicant is suitable for appointment
to the office.
As the office is one intended to be
honorable and trustworthy, an applicant should also be of
good character and be fit and proper to hold the office. It
is proposed that the process of carrying out a criminal
record check be maintained.
Applicants are currently required to
produce 2 character references. The issue remains open as to
what criteria should be demonstrated in the reference. At
the moment there is an unwieldy list of prescribed
categories of persons eligible to provide references. There
should probably still be some mechanism to discourage
reliance on references provided by persons not of good fame
and character. The issue for consideration is whether that
list should be streamlined. For example, would the
membership of a professional association or holding of an
office where the membership depends on being of good
character be an appropriate qualification for the referee?
Alternatively, should the referee be required to declare
that he or she has not been convicted of an offence or
subject to an apprehended violence order in the preceding 5
years?
Together with an examination of the
required qualifications, the issue remains whether the
council should nominate the applicant, or whether some other
nomination process should be put in place. For example,
nomination directly to the Secretary General by employers or
community groups. If such a direct nomination process were
to be put in place, the onus would fall upon the nominator
to provide the certification.
9. Code of ethics
of the Knight’s Justice of Peace
Each knight must renounce all claim to any land and
title granted by birth, pledging themselves instead to live
by the grace of their deeds and the generosity of the people
they defend. Every knight strives, above all, to uphold the
five virtues of the Code by word and deed. Know you then the
virtues:
: Bravery is
the Knight’s lifeblood, and the force that drives him
to deeds of honor and glory. A Knight must be brave
first and foremost, matching his courage not only
against his foes but against the impossible task that
faces all knights; re-forging the one kingdom and
re-establishing the rule of the high king.
Generosity: As the
high King of old was a river of prosperity to his
people, so must his knights be ready to give anything
they have, be it the coin in their purse or the strength
in their body, to any righteous soul who asks.
Modesty: Pride is
the ultimate villain, the greatest foe any Knight ever
faces. All of our strength is born of our purpose, which
comes of the Code, King Cambruin’s great gift. All of
our works are done for his glory and the glory of the
All-father, nor ours. When a knight forgets that he is
only a servant and thinks himself a master of men or
destiny, he repeats the betrayal that slew the High king
and sundered the land.
Mercy: We strive
through quest and hardship to renew the one kingdom, and
thus to redeem the world. Defeat is enough for any foe:
let the example of your virtue shine even to your direst
enemy, that he may see his error and take up our code as
you have.
Justice: If valor be a
knight’s blood, justice is his very soul. The strong
should not prey upon the weak, as animals do-we are men, and
the All-father wrought us to live well, so that we might
enjoy the fruits of our labors and rule as masters of the
world. Let no crime go unpunished, for despair is the
ultimate poison of hope, and the bar to our great goal. When
every man, lowly peasant to rich merchant, lives without
fear of war, theft, or oppression, then will justice have
been created, and the one kingdom reborn.
10.
Proof Of Need of Appointment?
Knight’s
Justice of Peace provides a valuable service to the
community by witnessing documents and performing related
tasks. The community, however, dictates the need for
Knight’s Justice of Peace services. It is not currently
the case that anyone wishing to be recognized as a Knight’s
Justice of Peace is entitled to be appointed as such.
Proceeding from the premise that a Knight’s Justice of
Peace should only be appointed where a need within the
community has arisen, it has always been a requirement that
the need should be identified by community organizations and
employers.
Assuming
that needs based appointments are to continue, it is
proposed that the community organization or the employer
must provide a letter to the Secretary General stating:
- that the appointment is required;
- whether any other employees or organization members
are Knight’s Justice of Peace; and
- Whether the services of a Knight’s Justice of Peace
can be readily obtained outside the organization
It
is proposed that the letter from the employer or community
organization must establish that it is essential for the
continued operation of the employer's business or the
community organization that the applicant is appointed. The
letter must also state what duties the applicant is needed
to perform.
An
alternative view is that any person meeting the criteria for
appointment, as a Knight’s Justice of Peace should be
appointed. The office of JP is intended to provide a public
service and the greater numbers of people available to
provide that service will always be considered to be an
advantage and an improvement in the service.
Appointment
of unlimited numbers of Knight’s Justice of Peace needs to
be tempered in view of the duties required of them. The
unlimited appointment to Knight’s Justice of Peace to
witness documents and oaths should present few problems for
the administration of justice. However, such an approach
would warrant the careful consideration of the limiting of a
Knight’s Justice of Peace functions.
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