Vera Baird DBE KC

Chair Criminal Cases Review Commission. Member Women’s Justice Bd.
Ex Victims’ Commissioner, Solicitor Gen & PCC. Fellow St Hilda’s Oxford. Writer. Labour Party

Author: VBoffice

Letting In The Light.
Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner has been leading the way in helping inform the public about the work of Labour Police & Crime Commissioners.
In association with the Fabian Society, Britain’s oldest political think tank which was established in 1884, a collection of essays have been put together which highlights how democracy can bring the police closer to the public.
The document, attached, which is entitled \”LETTING IN THE LIGHT: LESSONS FROM LABOUR’S POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS\”
‘Letting in the Light: Lessons from Labour’s police and crime commissioners’, was edited by Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, is a collection of essays on policing and community safety from the 13 Labour Police and Crime Commissioners.
In her introduction to the report Vera Baird describes the way in which the Labour Commissioners see their role as the “elected voice of the people” bringing \’ a significant shift of power towards the public\’ Commissioners provide oversight to “challenge any tendency, in such a powerful organisation, to prefer institutional self-interest over popular need”. She highlights controversies like Hillsborough, the clash between miners and police at Orgreave in 1984 and inaccuracies around the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes, Ian Tomlinson and Mark Duggan as having damaged trust in the police.
Labour is committed to reforming the role of commissioners but Vera Baird agrees with Lord Stevens Independent Police Commission that, whatever variant is taken on “the next Labour government should not row back on democracy in policing.” and calls on political parties to learn from the “experience of the commissioners who have been leading policy on the ground”
Vera Baird, editor of ‘Letting in the Light’, said:
“It is opportune, 18 months after the elections of November 2012, to describe what progress Labour commissioners have made.
“This is not a paean of praise for the role but an account of the hands-on experience of policing governance which the commissioners intend to contribute as the party formulates its manifesto for the 2015 general election. I am proud to be Northumbria’s Commissioner and working with the Fabians has allowed me to showcase the good work that is happening in our region in offering support for victims of sexual and domestic abuse.
“Each Labour commissioner has worked hard to get the most benefit for the public from the role, even as funding for police and community safety has been cut further and further.”
‘Letting in the Light’ also includes contributions from:
• Alun Michael (South Wales) on doing more with less, while continuing to support communities and taking a whole person view of crime
• Mark Burns-Williamson (West Yorkshire) on reinvesting the confiscated proceeds of crime in local communities
• Ron Hogg (Durham) on tackling drug addiction
• Shaun Wright (South Yorkshire) on reoffending and restorative justice
• Tony Lloyd (Greater Manchester) on supporting those suffering with mental health issues
• Clive Grunshaw (Lancashire) on early intervention and prevention
• Paddy Tipping (Nottinghamshire) on reducing alcohol related crime
• Jane Kennedy (Merseyside) on supporting victims of domestic violence
• Vera Baird (Northumbria) on embedding support for victims of sexual and domestic violence
• Alan Charles (Derbyshire) on raising the profile of wildlife crime
• Bob Jones (West Midlands) on working in partnership to reduce transport crime
• Olly Martins (Bedfordshire) on joint working between police forces
• Barry Coppinger (Cleveland) on the wide range of activities of a police and crime commissioner
‘Letting in the Light’ is dedicated to Bob Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, who contributed to the pamphlet before he passed away in July 2014
Link to the essays –
http://www.fabians.org.uk/publications/letting-in-the-light/
August 4, 2014
Frances Andrade – Learning Lessons, Getting It Right First Time (Huffington Post)
All of us in the criminal justice world have to work together now to make sure that there never is another death, like that of Frances Andrade, who died in circumstances that point to it being very nearly a direct consequence of becoming a witness in a sexual abuse case and finding it unbearable.
First, it is clear that a police officer somewhere, disastrously, convinced Ms Andrade, probably at an early stage, that if she has counselling it might interfere with her recollections and damage her evidence. The inquest heard that she said that to her GP, to a nurse and her husband and son have confirmed it. She seems to have been told otherwise later, but one assumes she determined that the case came first, at least her suffering might protect the next generation of music students from the defendant if she could testify well. Her son, Oliver, reinforces this when in an article for the Huffington Post in February 2013 he said \”Sticking to her morals she knew she must do what was right, to tell the facts as they were and leave it to the law to decide, even as she was only just beginning to see that Brewer\’s actions were indeed abuse.
\”One of her hopes was that the bravery she exhibited, and the other stories she knew would come out during the trial, would mean that other students who had also suffered abuse at Chetham\’s would be able to receive justice. As always she was fighting for others more than herself\”.
Many victims have been advised similarly not to seek support in the past, an approach both cold-hearted and unwise. That it still exists in policing is evidenced by the former superintendent who is Surrey Police and crime commissioner who said on the airwaves about this case:
\’It is the responsibility of the police to present evidence to the court with a victim in a way that is untainted. that means they will not and should not refer a victim for counselling until after they have given their evidence\”
Never again should that happen. Not only should the complainant\’s recovery be paramount, but it is hack psychology and insulting to jurors. There is a risk that counselling notes be disclosed but judges determine that and are getting clearer that they are rarely of relevance. Frances Andrade not untypically, knew that she was going to give evidence for about two years and \’was left to cope alone\’ as her son told the Coroner
Mr Andrade said that his wife was \’utterly traumatised\’ by the experience of giving evidence and felt that the barrister cross examining was attacking her personally. She told her friend that she felt as though she had been raped again in court. The defendant said that she was a fantasist,\’largely living a fantasy life\’ and presumably that was suggested to her in evidence. In 2013 the Bar Council resolved to \”encourage\’ the development of training for cross examination and the judge in this case said that the defence barrister \’was perfectly proper and correct in her examination of all the witnesses\’
But although excellent work has been done by the Criminal Bar Association and others especially through the Advocates\’ Gateway, which promotes \’toolkits\’ for cross examining, especially for children in sex cases, the Serious Case Review, lead by Professor Hilary Brown called for criminal justice professionals better to recognise the vulnerability of survivors when facing their accusers in court. There is no option but to treat a complainant as a true complainant in this way and it ought to have been self-evident to the judge and the barrister, who clearly did not treat her as vulnerable, that:
\’Historic abuse is always a present source of difficulty and distress to those who have been victimised\’ as the SCR reiterated. Victims statements used by the court which sentenced Rolf Harris gave some flavour of the impact. Victims lives were ruined, one victim turned to drink to blank out the memories and clearly Ms Andrade faced difficulties testifying in a case she had not inititated but which must have brought horrible memories back to life
She told her family that she felt she was not prepared enough for the trial, not expecting to be attacked or to have to answer so many direct questions, in public. She is quoted saying
\’I can see why nobody comes forward. I can see how people crack under the pressure\’
Most Police, at some stage, are trained to give evidence. Expert witnesses learn how to testify and deal with cross examination. The defendant in a trial prepares his evidence in detail, including rehearsals with his defence team. There is no criticism of an exercise in presenting the best of what they lawyers are told is a true case. The only person who doesn\’t know what to expect and isnt trained to cope is the victim/complainant. They get \’familiarisation training\’ subject to strict rules laid down by the Court of Appeal to avoid any influence on their evidence. They are told which is the judge and where the jury sits and a little bit more. Alison Saunders, the new DPP seems to get the point that that isn\’t enough. Why should complainants not be told what the defence is? Why should they be left to find out on the hoof that a barrister might suggest that they are a fantasist. Even more strongly should they know that, in a sexual abuse case, they are likely to be asked, as Ms Andrade obviously was, in excruciating detail about intimate events to see whether a dot or a comma has changed in their account since they gave a police statement.
Police forces across the country are working hard to improve the service they give to victims.The CPS has specialists for these cases. The judges are currently getting training about vulnerable witnesses. They will ensure that the protection for a victim and fairness to a defendant do not undermine one another. Everyone understands that the defendant is on trial for grave crime, facing ruin and worse and that he must get fairness. What is needed is a victims\’ eye view put into the middle of this which shakes them all out of the legal mindset and helps us all to understand the service to the public that the criminal justice process is intended to be. it did not serve Frances Andrade well.
Here in Northumbria we will be appointing Court Observers. The role of the panel will be collating and publishing their observations of how the cases are tried to see how well the courts are working to improve the trial of sexual offences. This will include considering whether a victim is provided with appropriate support in court and the use of myths and stereotypes about rape and abuse rather than focusing on facts.
To complement the work of the panel we will also be establishing a Police Rape Scrutiny Panel. This panel will scrutinise case files which have failed to attain the requisite evidential level of prosecution or where a prosecution has failed and look for lessons to learn. I hope these actions will be seen as a success and implemented by other Police & Crime Commissioners. Between us we can ensure that lesson are learnt from Frances case and her memory lives on in ensuring others get the right support first time.
Follow Vera Baird QC on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@northumbriapcc
August 1, 2014
Guardian article by Nicholas Watt – regarding Butler-Sloss. Published 14/7/14 – 9.56am
Ex-solicitor general urges Butler-Sloss to stand down from child abuse inquiryVera Baird says judge should withdraw as her panel would have to examine if her brother played down abuse claims.
A former solicitor general has called on Lady Butler-Sloss to stand down as chair of the inquiry into child abuse over a family conflict of interest.
Vera Baird, the police and crime commissioner for Northumbria who served as Labour\’s solicitor general from 2007 to 2010, said the home secretary, Theresa May, had made an error in appointing Butler-Sloss because her brother had served as attorney general in the 1980s.
Butler-Sloss, a former president of the family division of the high court, has faced intense pressure since her appointment last week because her brother, the late Sir Michael Havers, served as Margaret Thatcher\’s attorney general from 1979 to 1987. The Butler-Sloss panel would have to examine whether Havers played down allegations of child abuse during that period.
Baird told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Monday: \”If she were in a court case presiding over it and her brother were mentioned as someone she may have to investigate, she would of course withdraw due to a conflict of interest. The conflict of interest is even bigger here where we have a vulnerable community of people who say that they have been not allowed to get justice.
\”It is her task to look into it. It has got to be done by somebody who is an outsider to this, who is completely independent. Without wanting to descend totally to cliche, justice must not only be done but it has to be seen to be done.\”
Campaigners on child abuse last week called on Butler-Sloss, 80, to stand down after she was appointed by the home secretary to chair a panel of inquiry that would examine the extent to which public bodies failed to investigate allegations of child abuse. Alison Millar, a lawyer who is representing some of the victims of child abuse, likened the appointment of Butler-Sloss to asking a relative of the head of South Yorkshire police to chair the Hillsborough inquiry.
The retired judge faced renewed pressure over the weekend when the Times reported that she kept allegations about a bishop out of a review of how the Church of England dealt with two priests allegedly involved in paedophilia. Butler-Sloss reportedly told a victim that she did not want to name the bishop because \”the press would love a bishop\”. Bishop Peter Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and of Gloucester, was charged this year with indecent assault and misconduct in a public office.
Baird said Butler-Sloss\’s personal qualities were \”immaculate\”, but she added: \”Michael Havers [her brother] was attorney general from 1979 to 1987 and he then became lord chancellor. It would have been up to him, had there been reports coming through, as the chief law officer, to make sure they were investigated. I have no reason to know whether Michael Havers was ever given any information or whether he acted upon it or didn\’t. But she is going to have to investigate the role played by her late brother.\”
The former solicitor general added: \”The current issue surely is should somebody be investigating something in which their brother has been named, however he may in due course be exculpated? Is this going to satisfy this very vulnerable company of people who feel that the establishment has kept them out of justice already?
\”I think it is an error. I don\’t know if she, when agreeing to take it on, knew the implications for herself and for her family. She is a very dutiful person, she would feel she should take it on if she was asked to do so. The error is the home secretary\’s. It needs correcting.\”
Sir Mathew Thorpe, who served alongside Butler-Sloss in the court of appeal, acknowledged the concerns raised by Baird. But he said Butler-Sloss\’s record as a judge and as chair of the Cleveland child abuse inquiry put her in a strong position to chair the new panel.
Thorpe told the Today programme: \”Of course it [the conflict of interest] is a relevant consideration. But it has to be weighed against other relevant considerations, including her unrivalled qualities.
\”She has a high sense of duty to serve wherever her contribution may be of value. This is well illustrated by all the work she has done in the House of Lords, where she has been very active on all family justice issues.\”
July 14, 2014
Labour Women\’s Safety Conference
National plans making domestic and sexual violence a priority
Labour plans which would revolutionise the way sexual crimes are handled have been welcomed by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird.
The Commissioner, who has made domestic and sexual violence a priority in her Police and Crime Plan, was at Labour’s Women’s Safety Conference.
Delegates were discussing ways of improving justice for domestic and sex crimes, some of which have become more prevalent through the growth of the worldwide web, and improving women’s safety.
Key note speaker Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the insults levelled at teenage girls on a daily basis in schools could be easy to dismiss but were getting worse.
And it isn’t just abuse and harassment of girls and young women which is growing but violence in young relationships.
The British Crime Survey has shown 16-19-year-old girls being most at risk of domestic violence, with more than 10% experiencing violence or abuse in a relationship.
‘Revenge porn’, where an ex posts a half-naked photo or stalks the person online, and ‘sexting’, where young girls send ‘sexy and pouting’ pictures of themselves on their mobile phones, is also growing.
Yet delegates heard that while the number of reported domestic violence and rape crimes has gone up, the number of prosecutions have fallen since 2010.
Additionally legal aid reforms have made it difficult for women to afford the legal costs.
Vera Baird said: “It’s vital that changes are made not only in attitudes but our culture and that any woman or young girl suffering from any kind of abuse or violence comes forward to seek help.
“We all have a duty to stand up against these perpetrators and bring an end to their control and I fully support this call for action to prevent violence and change attitudes.
“I whole-heartedly agree that we cannot ignore online access to extreme and violent porn, which is changing young people’s perceptions of sex, and that education of young people to have a zero tolerance of violence in relationships is a key factor.”
The Commissioner said changes had already been made by Northumbria Police to make it easier for victims to come forward and that officers did all they can to make the reporting of these crimes as straightforward as possible, listening to all victims and taking action to help them.
Northumbria, together with neighbouring forces Durham and Cleveland, has introduced a new power – Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) -allowing police to take immediate action to ban a suspected perpetrator from the victim’s address for 48 hours.
“This gives any victim much needed breathing space providing them with the reassurance that they are safe and allowing them time to consider their options and get access to support services without pressure from the perpetrator,” Vera Baird said.
At the conference delegates called for a new law to tackle violence against women and Labour will be gathering information ready for the election.
This will reform the criminal justice system, bring in new national standards for policing and victim support and provide stronger prevention too.
“Violence in any relationship should never be tolerated and ending violence against women and girls is a personal priority for me.
“Any and every measure which can be made available to the police and other organisations which will help victims of what is sometimes a very hidden crime must be welcomed.”
July 8, 2014
In response: Yvette Cooper’s speech to the Fabian Conference (28th June 2014)
Yvette Cooper once again showed us why she will be an effective Home Secretary in 45 weeks time.
Speaking at the Fabians Society Conference she delivered a speech which was compassionate, caring and reinforced why we need a Labour Government with Ed Miliband and Yvette leading from the front for a fairer country that speaks for all.
As a party we are right to oppose the bedroom tax, it hurts too many people – it is not right that people have to make the choice of whether to feed themselves or not because they can\’t afford the ever increasing heating bills and bedroom tax. It is only our party that is standing up and saying the bedroom tax is wrong.
As Yvette states, Ed Miliband has kept Labour united, focused on what we should be tackling and building a vision for Britain. Ed has ensured that MPs, Councillors, MEPs, and latterly, PCCs are working in communities in every neighbourhood delivering for local people – we are united together in doing all we can to win the General Election. We have the determination, we have the policies and we all know what is at stake if the Conservatives win another term in 2015.
During the Shadow Home Secretary’s speech she mentioned that prosecutions for domestic and sexual violence have dropped even though reported crimes are going up, 999 waits across the country are going up and fewer crimes are being solved. Here in Northumbria we have seen our budget cut by £67 million since 2010, we have had to look at every option available to protect neighbourhood policing – had the Tories had their way we would have seen frontline policing cut to the skeleton – as Labour Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria there was no way I was going to allow this to happen, so we are relocating police stations in to the heart of communities, looking at sharing premises with organisations such as the fire and health service to save money, this making our police bases more accessible to the public and keeping officers on the beat, we are then disposing of old properties, cutting tiers of management and have looked for savings at every level to protect neighbourhood policing. With the election of a Labour government we know that neighbourhood policing will be a priority on Yvette’s agenda.
Theresa May really does believe that policing is only fighting crime – we need to put preventing crime back on the agenda as the last Labour government did. The Home Secretary declined my invitation to stop off and see excellent policing in action when she was coming through the force area to go to the Scottish Tory Party Conference earlier this year – she has still to accept my invitation to see first class police officers trying to deliver for communities despite massive budget cuts.
I’m pleased that Yvette recognised that Labour PCCs have worked hard to collaborate with each other and with local councils and partners, this is what we were elected to do and we continue to urge Commissioners of other political persuasion to do the same.
When delivering public services, it frightens me that the market is dominated by Capita, G4S, Serco, Sodexho and Atos – I don’t have have confidence in these companies, yet the governments commissioning process is pushing them at us and as Yvette rightly states they are crowding out smaller organisations, local voluntary groups and failing to deliver value for money too.
Northumbria’s Probation service is recognised as one of the best in the country, now their future is uncertain as the government has cut up and privatised the service to the point were morale is rock bottom and the staff are working in a system with no direction from government apart from to cut costs at any measures. The services that are being dismantled are crucial to an effective rehabilitation process and getting it wrong now will have consequences for many years.
Everyone is in favour of introducing aftercare to prevent re-offending by people sentenced to one year or less. But the coalition’s Crime Minister made clear, in answer to a question from me, in May, that this will “not happen soon” but after “we have waited for the cohort to build up” whereas if it had been given to local probation trusts, the best team to deliver it, no doubt it would have been in place by now, preventing more crimes and protecting more victims. It was a showpiece reason for making these changes but the best current estimate is that it won’t even start until 2016. This is worrying
A Labour government knows that resources will be tight during the next Parliament, but public services will be more important than ever and it is Labour’s different set of values to the current government that will deliver a difference. As Yvette states “for the many, not the few; for social justice, not social fragmentation. Labour progressive values, not Tory prejudice”
Labour PCCs will both inform and support the next Labour reforms in criminal justice. We say yes to services that are personalised, giving power to individuals, families and communities; Yes to creating partnerships and collaboration. Labour PCCs believe in this rather than fragmentation and enforced competition.
Long term prevention is a Yes from us and we fully support raising professional standards.
Labour values will make a difference to our country and as Ed Miliband said nearly a year ago “Britain can do better” I’m up for the fight, I have implemented many Labour policies since my election as PCC in November 2012 – one of the proudest being a Living Wage for all who work for Northumbria police. We brought the cleaning team back in house so we could pay them a living wage.
Let’s make the next 45 weeks count and come May 2015 we will have a brighter future for our communities – with Ed Miliband as Prime Minister and Yvette Cooper as Home Secretary.
July 1, 2014
Commissioner takes concerns to Parliament
Northumbria\’s Police and Crime Commissioner is joining forces with Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd in raising concerns about proposed legislation which they fear could make it easier for bogus taxi drivers to prey on vulnerable people.
The proposed Deregulation Bill – aims to free private hire and taxis from red tape. However, the legislation includes several measures on the private hire trade which the Commissioner has described as giving grave cause for concern.
Vera Baird has concerns about the measures which include: allowing people who do not hold a private hire vehicle driver’s licence to drive a licensed private hire vehicle when it is not being used as such; standardising drivers’ licences at three years, and five years for operators; and allowing private hire vehicles to subcontract each other across licensing boundaries.
Mrs Baird has raised her concerns with all the MPs in the Northumbria region. In a letter, Vera Baird QC, says clauses in the Deregulation Bill currently making its way through Parliament will make it easier for bogus drivers to prey on vulnerable people, and make it harder for the authorities to ensure vehicles are being operated properly. The letter also mentions the potential impact on community safety and has asked for MPs support to help persuade the government to remove these clauses.
Vera Baird said: \”The proposed measures could have the unintended consequences of making vehicles less safe and make it harder for the authorities to ensure vehicles are being operated properly.
\”The possibility that unlicensed individuals could operate taxis is a cause for significant concern.
\”Effective stewardship will require local authorities and individuals to sign up to the Disclosure and Barring Service update service, which will allow authorities to receive information about convictions during a licence term . The system needs to be robust enough to handle the extra work – we’ve seen the difficulties that the passport agency is currently having, I fear the government will not have the necessary resources in place to deal with the increased workload. This needs addressing.”
The Government also needs to address “out of area taxis” coming in to an area – it is only right that taxis licensed in an area serve that area.
“The Government needs to have an honest and open debate on these matters and proper scrutiny needs to happens. Parliament needs to get this bill right first time.
“I call upon David Cameron to work with the Law Commission who have undertaken a lengthy review of the current legislation and has already drafted a Taxi Bill which would introduce a national system of proper regulation that would begin to address the issue of inconsistency between authorities. The Law Commission’s more comprehensive measures would be subject to significantly more scrutiny and consultation than the rushed measures in the Deregulation Bill.
\”The priority has to be to make sure that taxis and private hire vehicles are a safe and secure way of getting home after a night out. Measures in the Deregulation Bill endanger this. Local residents should always be safe in the taxi they book and I know taxi drivers would welcome the additional security that changes to this bill would bring for them”
June 17, 2014
Miliband calls for “proper intervention” into police conduct during the Orgreave miners clash
Labour Leader, Ed Miliband and Vera Baird – Calling for Answers.
From Labourlist – www.labourlist.org
The Guardian has reported today that Miliband has become one of the most senior politicians to call for a “proper investigation” into the confrontation between police and miners at Orgreave – known as the Battle of Orgreave
Thirty years after the clashes between police and miners at Orgreave, the drive to push for a full investigation into alleged police alleged misconduct both during and after the incident continues. The police are accused of physically assaulting miners, lying under oath and perverting the course of justice when it came to the prosecution of 95 miners.
In light of these accusations, in November 2012 the South Yorkshire police referred themselves to the Independent Police and Complaints Commission (IPCC). But over a year and a half later and the IPCC says they’re still “scoping” existing evidence so they can decide whether they’ll hold a full investigation
Miliband, speaking to miners and representatives from Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign at Hatfield Main colliery in his Doncaster constituency, recently described the miner’s strike as a “just cause”. He went on to call for a full investigation into the polices actions:
“You were fighting for justice, for your community, for equality, for all the things that mattered.
The values you fought for are the values that we have to take forward for the future.
Very specifically, there does need to be a proper investigation about what happened at Orgreave. We support that proper investigation taking place, as a matter of truth and a matter of justice.”
A Labour party spokeperson further explained what a “proper investigation” meant: “The IPCC is looking into whether they should investigate. We want them to do the right thing.”
Northumbria’s police and crime commissioner Vera Baird QC echoed Miliband’s sentiments. Speaking with the the Observer she said:
“The IPCC is running out of time for trust to be sustained. One wants to have faith in the publicly established statutory organisation that investigates complaints against the police, but it’s impossible not to ask yourself: ‘What’s keeping them?’”
Miliband’s bold stance is surely a welcome one, particularly for the miners and their families directly involved in and affected by the clashes – after thirty years it’s about time the matter was investigated thoroughly.
June 16, 2014
ORGREAVE – TIME FOR ANSWERS
Click on the link below. Now is the time for the IPCC to investigate Orgreave, no more delays.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10901515/Police-watchdog-criticised-over-miners-strike-inquiry.html
June 16, 2014
Progress Online Article (13th June 2014) – Policing through rights and respect – not kilos of water.
Police forces across the country work hard, delivering community safety and working with residents to problem solve and cut crime
Policing can only be based on partnership. ‘The police are the public and the public are the police’ is the most quoted of the Peelian principles, set out by the founder of the Metropolitan police. Few people, police, members of the public or politician would ever dispute it – except, perhaps, London mayor, Boris Johnson.
Despite the opposition of 20 of the 25 London assembly, and without the approval of the Home Office, Johnson has decided to spend up to £400,000 of public money on heavy weaponry, which cannot be targeted but only used against people at large, namely water cannon.
This is not just a decision for London – it is the first time that water cannon will feature in policing in all of England and Wales. There is no consensus for this step. Johnson shows little respect for his public in following the example of police commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, who has said that ‘his’ officers are there to wage ‘total war on crime’. Londoners may be unhappy with the notion that cops are their leaders’ storm troopers rather than servants of the public. Made sceptical, through scandals such as the Lawrence case,‘plebgate’ and the deaths of Ian Tomlinson, Mark Duggan and John Charles de Menezes, Londoners may worry too about further arming the police and might ask exactly who will be defining the enemy.
Labour assembly member Joanne McCartney objects that ‘there is confusion behind exactly how the process of their deployment will work’. Police and crime commissioners across both the country and the political spectrum are against their introduction. The Association of Chief Police Officers’ briefing says that ‘water cannon are capable of causing serious injury or even death’. The home secretary is right when she states that we need to consider the health and safety aspects before going any further. There are examples from across Europe of severe injuries caused by police using water cannon. The riots in London in 2010 could not have been stopped with these devices which only work in spaces the size of Parliament Square.
We are a country of free speech. We do not police protests through water cannon but through respect for that right and the rights of others who disagree. There were no riots where I live in Northumbria. If police there make a mistake, even a grave one, they do not retreat into defensive obfuscation but trust their public with the truth. Lost confidence which gives rise to protest and then, as respect for the rule of law evaporates, to lawlessness, is better not triggered in the first place. It will not be recovered by indiscriminate blasting of protesters, bystanders and criminals alike with thousands of kilos of water.
Since 2010, through massive spending cuts imposed by the mayor’s Conservative party, the people of London have lost 3,111 police officers. Water cannon are not a substitute for uniformed officers on the street. Nor are they a substitute for the trust of the community in their police, so lamentably weakened under Johnson’s bravado but feeble stewardship.
June 13, 2014
Tackling Knife Crime (Northumberland Gazette article)
Knife crime can have a harsh effect on communities. Across Northumbria, we have seen the devastating effect that knives have caused to families.
I am a firm believer that there should be tougher sentences for those who carry knives and I am pleased that the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has given her backing to tougher sentences for knife crime.
An amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill has been put forward which proposes a six-month jail term for anyone convicted of carrying a knife for the second time.
This amendment makes sound sense.
Tougher sentences would send a clear message to those who carry knives repeatedly that it is not acceptable.
The family of 16-year-old Glen Corner in South Shields have campaigned for changes in the law.
In the past, they have lobbied their MP and taken their campaign to the heart of government to demand change.
Glen was tragically taken from them in August 2006 when he died from a stab wound.
Their belief is quite simple – that no one should be carrying knives as they can devastate lives.
I agree totally with this sentiment.
Tackling knife crime has received the support of the two major parties in the House of Commons.
Labour leader Ed Miliband is clear in his determination that legislation should be used to strengthen the law and he is sympathetic to the issue of mandatory sentences after a second offence.
Of course, we need to make sure this is done in the right way.
I believe that in Northumbria, people want to send a strong message to people who carry knives repeatedly.
A similar measure was put in place to tackle gun offences and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said that a simple message is needed.
It was heard about guns and it needs to be heard about knives.
We need to ensure that we educate and rehabilitate those caught up in the knife culture, but just as importantly it is imperative that the police and courts are given support to tackle knife crime.
While we are fortunate in Northumbria that we do not have the same problem with knife crime as in some other areas of the country, we have had tragic deaths in this force area and Northumbria Police will continue to take a proactive stance in tackling knife crime.
Politicians across the political spectrum continue to want this issue addressed.
There is a drive and commitment from the Home Secretary, Leader of the Opposition and Police and Crime Commissioners to see change.
It is now our job to make it happen.
June 12, 2014