Local company donates £750 to JAAR

Monday 28 May 2018

A local company specialising in Project Management has donated £750 to a local charity Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR).

This is the first of many donations Paul Byrne, owner of Lean Jersey Limited, will make to local charities and organisations as part of his company's ‘Giving Back to the Community’ programme.

Mr Byrne was a Police Sergeant but had to retire in June 2017 after 22 years with the States of Jersey Police following a spinal injury. As in the last five years of his police career he had been involved in process improvement, which included moving paper based systems to digital and improving the way information is shared with the honourary police, he decided to utilise his skills. 

He set up Lean-Jersey Limited in January to provide local companies with project management, process improvement services using a methodology called Lean Six Sigma, Information management and GDPR compliance. The company recently worked with Community and Constitutional Affairs on a project mapping a victim's and witnesses' journey through the criminal justice system. 

Mr Byrne says: "We spoke to a lot of people and really got to understand the fantastic work support services do for victims and witnesses, offering practical and emotional support to so many people on a daily bases. A large number of these services are States departments, or States funded and not allowed to receive donations to help them fund more staff, training, and facilities." 

Pictured: Paul Byrne set up Lean Jersey Limited in January after retiring from the police.

As one of the maps Lean-Jsy worked on focused on sexual assaults, Mr Byrne also got to know Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR), a local charity which provides support for survivors of rape and sexual assault and their families. He says: "We interviewed and process mapped this great service when completing the Victim and Witness journey through the criminal justice system. I was amazed by the work JAAR do and commitment of the people involved. I was taken aback by the number of people they help and who never report it to the police."

To help the charity, Mr Byrne decided to make a donation. But it won't be just a one-off. Every six months, Lean-Jsy will make a donation to a different charity which they have a direct involvement with. The company will focus on charities and organisations that help people who have gone through a traumatic situation, who contribute to the development of young people's life skills or help local families. 

Mr Byrne explained: "I do some charity work with churches and it was always my aim to use the company as a tool to give back to the community. As a police officer, I have seen it from the other side and I wanted to give back.

"Every six months we will make a donation. The amount will depend on how the business is doing at the moment. We will take it on a case by case basis. We have decided to keep the donations just to local organisations. There is a lot going on in the world and there are a lot of worthy causes to support, but sometimes we can forget what is happening on our doorstep."