CPS director wins UK Asian community award

A CPS London director has received a prestigious award which celebrates the achievements of British Asians.

Raj Joshi was presented with a Lloyds TSB Jewel Award for Public Service Excellence at a ceremony at the London Hilton, Park Lane, in September.

The Director of Legal Practice and Quality Assurance was among 18 of the most prominent figures in Southern England's Asian community short-listed for seven award categories.

The awards, which cover all aspects of the community, including business and commerce, media, healthcare and education, attracted a record 6,200 nominations.

Raj said: "I hope this will indicate to others from black and minority ethnic backgrounds that prejudices and restraints in this country are being aggressively dismantled, and that within forward-thinking organisations such as the CPS they can find an environment in which to excel."

He added that the award recognised how, as a world-class organisation, the CPS encouraged community engagement, diversity and excellence in all its operations.

Raj's nomination described how as the son of an Indian immigrant family living in a single room, unable to speak English, he became a well-known public figure.

As a Bar student he argued for the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights into UK law. And while a pupil barrister he organised concerts for charity.

During his CPS career he formulated Service policies, raising awareness of human trafficking, and making recommendations for the development of foreign legal systems in countries such as Kosovo, Serbia and Venezuela.