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

Category: ARTICLES

  • Northumbria Police praised as ‘Good’ in latest inspection

    A POSITIVE culture with an excellent understanding of the demand for its services and solid financial plans – those are the findings of the latest independent report into Northumbria Police.

    Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has carried out its annual assessment of how well police forces are managing finances and understanding demand.

    Forces were assessed against the overarching question ‘How efficient is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?’ with four possible ratings available; ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘requires improvement’ and ‘inadequate’.

    Northumbria received a ‘Good’ rating overall.

    In the three separate areas assessed at as part of the inspection, the force was rated ‘Good’ for understanding its demand, ‘Good’ for how well it uses its demand and ‘Good’ for how well the force is planning for the future.

    The inspection found:

    • Northumbria Police has an excellent understanding of the demand for its services and has well-developed processes to uncover demand that is less likely to be reported

    • The force has recognised that demand for safeguarding vulnerable people has been increasing and has put extra resources into this area of policing

    • The force works hard to evaluate current internal demand so that any inefficiencies can be quickly spotted and dealt with

    • The leaders of Northumbria Police have created a culture in which the whole workforce feels that it can contribute ideas to improve the force. The force has created a very positive culture of openness

    • The force is investing heavily in information technology. It recognises the opportunities and threats from changes in technology

    • The financial plans for the force are detailed and it has solid plans for the future that have been tested and examined independently to ensure that they are fit for purpose

    The inspection found that an area for improvement is for the Force to explore new ways to identify talent and ensure individuals reach their full potential.

    Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said: “Despite all the financial challenges policing faces, I am delighted that our force has been recognised for providing an efficient and well-managed service.

    “Neighbourhood policing is a priority of mine – I have worked closely with the Chief Constable to squeeze every penny out of every pound to ensure we protect it. Police officers are now closer to the communities they serve through the investment of new technology to keep officers engaging with local residents.

    “To provide neighbourhood policing we need a fair funding settlement. The Chief Constable and I have made clear to the Home Secretary what is needed for Northumbria – she now needs to deliver.

    “Finally, special thanks to all of our staff and officers who continue to go the extra mile, without them we could not achieve what we do.”

    Temporary Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Winton Keenen, added: “This report is welcome news and is testament to all the hard work done on a daily basis by everyone in Northumbria Police.

    “Our force has received the biggest cut in government grant out of all police forces in England and Wales since 2010, a reduction of £123m from our revenue budget.

    “It is therefore, particularly pleasing that we have not only been recognised for having robust financial plans in place, but also that we are deemed fit for purpose when it comes to meeting the increasing demands put on our service.

    “However, we certainly won’t be complacent. Providing a high standard of service to people who need our help is our priority and we will continue to do everything we can to achieve that.”

  • Cost of meeting rising crime revealed by PCCs

    The cost of meeting the rise in crime whilst investing to stem that rise and protect the public has been revealed.

    Evidence gathered by PCCs and Police Chiefs shows that £440m extra is required in 2018/19 and £845m in 2019/20, an increase of 1.5% to 2% more than inflation in each year.

    The Home Office asked PCCs and Police Chiefs to assess levels of stretch and resilience in the service over the summer.

    The rise in funding would provide an additional 5,000 officers nationally to deal with increased local policing demands from new sorts of crime and increasing complexity, and an armed policing uplift of a further 1,100 officers.

    Dame Vera Baird said “Since 2012, we have seen police budgets reduce nationally by £2.3bn. Northumbria force has seen one of the biggest reductions out of all police forces (£123 million) in England and Wales. Locally, we have lost nearly 1,000 police officers and nationally the number of police officers on the streets have been reduced.

    Every year we continue to stretch the pound to ensure we squeeze out every penny. To protect frontline policing we have had to use reserves, this position is untenable.”

    PCCs and Chief Constables are at the forefront of demanding further investment from government and have bid for extra money – £440m next year, increasing to £845m in 2019/20. If successful, that would fund 5,000 new officers (in England and Wales) over the two-year period and an additional 1,100 armed officers to combat the immediate terrorist threat.

    The extra funding will also tackle newer, emerging crimes such as cybercrime, fraud and child sexual exploitation.

    Dame Vera added “I can assure local residents that I will continue to take the demand for a fair funding deal to the very heart of government.”

    The APCC and the NPCC have responded to a Home Office request to collate evidence from across all 43 police forces and associated agencies and assess levels of strain and resilience across the country.

    The request comes at a time when pressures on police time and resources are increasing. Whether it is from the increase in recorded crime, up by 13 per cent nationally this year, more complex crimes being committed and a growing terrorist threat, the police, more than ever, are being called on to respond.

    Police forces have been hit hard since the 2015 Spending Review as due to the change in demand, the current “flat cash” settlement for local forces, which does not insulate them from inflation or the recent changes in the national pay settlement, is no longer considered sufficient.

    Dame Vera added “Our police officers and staff do an incredible job, their commitment is second to none. When I was elected, I gave a commitment that neighbourhood policing was my priority and would be protected. I now need the government to give Northumbria a fair funding deal to ensure this commitment is honoured. The Home Secretary can hear a very loud, united voice from Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables – she needs to act if police forces across England and Wales are to have the ability to deliver the key components of policing.”

    Fellow PCC, Paddy Tipping said “We believe that a lack of investment will lead to increases in crime and a reduction of police and state legitimacy.”

  • Neighbourhood policing – it’s my priority

    Following on from last month’s Vera’s views (www.northumbria-pcc.gov.uk), I wanted to focus further on neighbourhood policing.

    When I was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, I gave a commitment that I would do everything I could to protect neighbourhood policing – it’s one of the most effective ways of ensuring local police officers and community support officers engage with residents across Northumbria. Towards the end of October, Norfolk Police revealed plans to scrap all Community Support Officers (CSOs) in light of funding cuts and changing crime trends.

    Despite Northumbria Police having received the biggest cut in government grant out of all police forces in England and Wales since 2010, a reduction of £123million from its revenue budget, I have squeezed every penny out of every pound to ensure we protect the services that matter to you and your family and I following Norfolk’s decision, I reiterated, my commitment and that of the Acting Chief Constable to maintain the number of CSOs in Northumbria.

    Neighbourhood policing remains a force priority and careful managing of the force budget means the force can maintain a visible presence on the streets. Our Community Support Officers do a fantastic job working with police officers and they are at the forefront of our neighbourhood policing model. Crime trends have changed but CSOs have an important role to play in combating complex crimes such as child sexual exploitation, modern day slavery and cyber-crime.

    I fully appreciate the difficult situation that Theresa May and Amber Rudd have put Norfolk Police in, especially as our force has been one of the worst hit by cuts to the police budget but we have been managing our budget very carefully to maintain a visible policing presence on our streets. For example, we have invested heavily in technology to ensure officers aren’t stuck behind desks but are out on the streets keeping our communities safe. We also changed our neighbourhood model and merged some sectors to take out levels of management and protect the number of officers on the ground.

    I am committed to working with the Chief Constable to manage our budget so we can protect front line policing but the thin blue line is already stretched to the limit. The Home Secretary needs to ensure a proper funding formula that is fair to Northumbria so we can continue providing a professional service to our local communities.

  • Lending support to national Anti-Slavery Day today

    The Commissioner, together with police and partners has been working together to tackle this important issue and wants to raise awareness of the scale of the problem that affects areas across the UK, including the north east.

    Tackling modern day slavery and human trafficking is a high priority for the force and forms part of Dame Vera’s Policing Plan. Through regional networks officers are working closely with colleagues from the National Crime Agency and the Immigration Service to share intelligence and act on it.

    Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said: “I am pleased to see great moves forward in Northumbria’s response and understanding of modern day slavery through targeted operations like this year’s Operation Kestrel, which saw significant successes.

    “Through this work, we have been able to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, supporting them through such facilities as Newcastle’s Victim Reception Centre.

    “However, there is still a great deal of work to be done, particularly in raising awareness. It’s important people realise that these offences can happen on our doorstep, right here in the North East, and we need to ensure people caught up in these terrible situations have access to the help and safety they need.”

    Anyone with concerns about crime and human trafficking where they live should contact their local neighbourhood policing team on 101.

  • POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONER DEMANDS ACTION FROM HOME SECRETARY

    Leading Police and Crime Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, has taken her demand for action to the very top of government.

    In a letter to the Home Secretary, Dame Vera has demanded that extra funding be made available to Northumbria Police for the 2% pay rise announced by government for police officers.

    The Government recently announced a lifting of the pay cap for police officers – but no cash to pay for it.

    Northumbria Police has received the biggest cut in government grant out of all police forces in England and Wales since 2010 – a reduction of £123 million from its revenue budget. This has lost Northumbria over 900 police officers and 923 police staff and PCSOs. The National Audit Office and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have both made clear that Northumbria Police has been hit hardest of all England and Wales police forces through these financial cuts.

    Northumbria Police has budgeted for a 1% pay award across the board, to increase this by an extra 1% will cost £1.55 million – equal to 31 police officers and £0.5m for police staff and PCSOs – equal to a further 10 police officers.

    Dame Vera said: “Let me be absolutely clear, our hardworking officers and staff fully deserve a pay rise and I want to see this happen. The Government now needs to fund it. Police officers have told me they would rather decline a pay rise than lose further police officers. Cutting more officers is a very likely outcome, a ridiculous position which shouldn’t even be a consideration. In my letter I have set out the perilous financial position Northumbria Police has been put into by government cuts which, whatever they say, are continuing to this day. They speak about reserves deposited in police force bank accounts but we have tiny reserves- because we have had to play them in to manage these huge cuts.

    “I have set out the financial position and asked Amber Rudd how she suggests the force pays for a rise. We strongly suggest that she must pay for it.”

  • Backing lower drink drive limit

    PCC Vera Baird QC backs lower drink drive limit

    Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, is once again urging the Government to lower the national drink drive limit from 80mg to 50mg.

    Her calls for more action to save lives and improve road safety come following the release of figures by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) earlier this week, which reveal there are 240 deaths and 8,000 casualties as a result of drink driving every year. There has been no reduction in the number of fatalities since 2010.

    It is not only drunk drivers who are affected: 60% of those killed or injured in drink driving incidents are people other than the driver, such as passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.

    England and Wales have one of the highest drink drive limits in Europe, matched only by Malta, who recently announced that they will also be dropping their limit to 50gm. Scotland reduced its limit in 2014, and a new 50gm limit will come into effect in Northern Ireland this coming January.

    When Scotland lowered the drink driving limit, offences went down by 17% in the first three months alone.

    The Commissioner is joining the IAS along with a coalition of emergency services, road safety charities and health experts who are all calling for MPs to lower the limit.

    It is estimated that lowering the limit would also save £300 million annually, by reducing the cost to the police and ambulance services and cutting hospital admissions.

    Vera Baird QC, who is also Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “According to the IAS, reducing the limit to 50mg will save at least 25 lives per year. These figures speak for themselves and it’s about time the Government listened to them. If we can get this into law now, we know that many lives will be saved in the weeks, months and years ahead. I will continue campaigning and supporting the work of the IAS along with my fellow PCCs until the right thing is done.”

    Katherine Brown, Director at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “Recent decades have seen great improvements in road safety, but progress on drink driving has ground to a halt. With hundreds of lives lost each year, we can’t afford to let England and Wales fall behind our neighbours in road safety standards.”

  • Vera Baird is backing Wear Red Day

    Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, and Chief Constable Steve Ashman, will be wearing something red this Friday (21, October) to support educational charity Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) as it marks its 20th anniversary of standing up to racism.

    They will be joined by officers and staff who will be backing the campaign by adding a touch of colour to their outfits with red items such as socks, shoe laces or scarves.

    ‘Wear Red Day’ is a national campaign that will see supporters from up and down the country dressing in red and donating a £1 to help raise funds to deliver education in schools on the impact of racism within football and society as a whole.

    PCC Vera Baird QC, who is also Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “Show Racism the Red Card is a great campaign which teaches children right and wrong with regards to racism – Wear Red Day gets my 100% support. It is my hope that through initiatives like this we can wipe out racism once and for all. I’m proud that the North East is a welcoming place, we will continue to work hard to tackle racism when it occurs”

    Chief Constable, Steve Ashman, said: “Northumbria Police wholeheartedly supports any initiative to combat racism and I hope to encourage anyone who is a victim of racism, or who witnesses a racist incident, to contact us so we can take firm action. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, hate crime in any form, is not acceptable and will not be tolerated by Northumbria Police.”

    For more information about the awareness day and ways to donate, visit http://www.srtrc.org/get-involved/WearRedDay

  • William Wilberforce and UK commitment to combat modern slavery.

    On Wednesday, a wreath laying service at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and to mark the United Kingdom\’s commitment to combat modern slavery will take place, sadly, I can\’t be present. Below is a letter of support I sent to Commissioner Kevin Hyland, Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

    10th October 2016

    Dear Commissioner,

    I am sorry that I cannot be at the wreath laying service at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and to mark the United Kingdom’s commitment to combat modern slavery, this is due to commitments as Chair of the Association of Police & Crime Commissioners.

    It is right and proper that we mark the work of William Wilberforce who used his position as a Member of Parliament to head the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty years, until the passage of the Slave Trade Act in 1807.

    Wilberforce was committed to humanitarian reform, he read widely on the subject, learnt from those who were affected and worked with people such as Thomas Clarkson, a fellow graduate of St John’s, Cambridge, who supported Wilberforce in the need to end the slave trade. Wilberforce’s campaign took time – for 18 years he regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in Parliament. His determination and commitment paid off and in 1807, the slave trade was finally abolished.

    Wilberforce ensured that Parliament took action, his determination, passion and success is rightly commemorated today by the laying of a wreath.

    Despite moving on nearly 200 years, the grim reality today is that slavery still exists in towns and cities across the world, including here in the United Kingdom. It’s frightening that young girls are raped, beaten and passed from abuser to abuser and sexually exploited for profit. The fact that vulnerable men are tricked into working long hours, being locked away in sheds is disgraceful. The scale of this hidden crime in the United Kingdom is significant – in 2013 the Home Office estimated there were around 12,000 potential victims in the United Kingdom.

    Politicians, Police & Crime Commissioners and government are determined to do all they can to stamp out modern slavery, we have seen the introduction of the Modern Slavery Bill – there is more to do and I am convinced that the beliefs and passion of Wilberforce are shared by people today. Modern day slavery is something that we must continue to tackle and services such as today highlight the work that is taking place across the country to put in place protections and support for victims and to ensure tough penalties for those who exploit people.

    Together, we will make a difference.

    Yours sincerely

    Vera

    Vera Baird QC

    Police & Crime Commissioner – Northumbria

    Chair of the Association of Police & Crime Commissioners.

  • Emily Wilding Davison’s Birthday

    Emily Wilding Davison

    Emily Wilding Davison

    Emily Wilding Davison was born on 11th Oct 1872, she was one of the most famous suffragettes – she defied the odds many times, she stood up for what she believed in, even when women could not gain a degree from Oxford University, her result exam result was a first class honours.

    Emily believed in the rights of women, Victorian society wasn’t the best place for articulate, clever women – in fact any women – to progress. The fact that all woman were denied the right to vote drove her on. Emily had a battle on her hands to convince those in power – especially when the monarch (Queen Victoria) did not believe that women should involve themselves in politics, which was ironic when you think she had regular audiences with the Prime Minister, was informed about crucial and critical matters of state and she oversaw Britain’s great empire.

    Emily was angered by discrimination and the fact that women were not treated equal to men. She has rightly taken her place in history. She spoke up for women, she wanted to bring about change and she paid the ultimate price following injuries she sustained at the 1913 derby.

    Moving on just over hundred years since her death, women still have many challenges – which I am sure Emily would be at the forefront of championing. She would be a strong campaigner for women’s rights, she would want us all – men and women to unite to tackle violence against women and girls. I hope that she would be proud that it was our region that established the first regional violence against women and girls strategy, in partnership with my PCC colleagues, Barry Coppinger and Ron Hogg.

    The strategy sets out how we will provide support to those who suffer domestic and sexual abuse, we have better trained officers and superb after care and we will do everything we can to bring perpetrators before the courts. As we mark Emily’s birthday, I am confident that she would be on our side, she would be a strong advocate of ending violence against women and girls.

    As we say thank you to Emily for her commitment to getting women the vote, lets join together to end violence against women and girls now, so future generations don’t have to fight a battle that should be consigned to history.

  • The Tories are letting domestic abuse victims down. Read more here –

    The Attorney General shouldn\’t preen himself in the press for his recent success in lengthening too short jail sentences for robbers and burglars (Times & Telegraph both 24.8.16) Instead he should tackle the unduly lenient sentences handed out for domestic abuse – as the Tories’ election manifesto pretended they would.

    In a typical case at Teesside Court, a long term abuser got one year’s suspended prison sentence, for violently attacking his partner to stop her leaving him. He bit her on the face, put a knife to her neck, squeezed her throat until she choked, threatened to scald her and use a pellet gun to ‘shoot you through your eye and into your brain’ and fired a pellet into her foot. He threatened to ‘torch’ her house if she called the police. The victim’s personal statement described this treatment as ‘life changing’. She was so scared when he was freed that she was forced into hiding, in effect being imprisoned instead of him. The defendant said on Facebook ‘The c— didn\’t win, I’m free’

    In eight other cases, the same judge gave suspended sentences to similar culprits, whilst another court, in a single month, freed seven convicted abusers. They included a man who pushed his victim so hard that she hit her head on the ground and another who went to his ex-partner’s home and squeezed her throat until she blacked out.

    The Director of a domestic abuse charity describes colleagues nationwide as “constantly frustrated by the sentences given to men who beat women up” Domestic abuse is at epidemic levels in England and Wales. Two women are killed by their partner or ex-partner every week; on average the police receive an emergency call relating to domestic abuse every 30 seconds; domestic abuse-related crime is 8% of total crime and domestic cases are 14.1% of all court prosecutions. 92.4% of defendants are male, 84% of victims are female and 16% are male. Notwithstanding these startling figures, Women\’s Aid still estimates that only one in five abuse victims complain to the police, so that the actual prevalence of domestic abuse is hugely higher than these numbers suggest. Of those that do complain to the police, the majority won’t support a prosecution. Many give as their reason, unsurprisingly, a lack of faith in the courts.

    The Conservative manifesto undertook to ‘prioritise tackling violence against women and girls’ and, seemingly to confront this issue, promised that;-

    ‘ To tackle those cases where judges get it wrong, we will extend the scope of the Unduly Lenient Scheme, so a wider range of sentences can be challenged’

    Yet nothing has happened. The right for someone affected by an unduly lenient sentence to ask the Attorney General to challenge it in the Court of Appeal applies only to a small list of criminal offences. Typical domestic abuse crimes are not on the list. So whilst people can ask for a review of low sentences for burglary and robbery neither victims, domestic abuse charities, the police, nor the Crown Prosecution Service can – thanks to the Tories failure to act – do anything about sentences which don’t reflect the harm caused to the victim, the perpetrator’s culpability or the wider damage caused to society from the prevalence of domestic abuse.

    If the government kept its word, there would be plenty of ammunition to bring change. These cases fly in the face of Guidelines made for the judges by the Sentencing Council. The Council’s role is to consult the public and produce Guidelines so that there is a consistent approach to sentencing for the same offences in different courts. In 2006, the then Labour Home secretary Charles Clarke asked for a definitive guideline on domestic abuse and the one produced shows an impressive grasp of the issues that judges should, long ago, have learnt from. For instance, the Guideline recognises that ill treatment of a domestic partner involves a breach of trust so that it generally deserves a heavier sentence than the same offence against an unconnected person. It also acknowledges that having a good character, -which would usually mitigate a sentence – shouldn’t do so in domestic abuse cases because:

    ‘One of the factors that can allow domestic violence to go unnoticed for lengthy periods is the ability of the perpetrator to have two personae, a violent one and another so…an offender’s good character in relation to good conduct outside the home should generally be of no relevance’

    The Teesside case neatly demonstrates how that level of understanding is missing from the courts – the judge’s reason for suspending the prison sentence and freeing the defendant was, precisely contrary to this guideline, that he had a good character.

    Victims who have been coerced and undermined by an abusive partner often fear that they will not be taken seriously or even believed and, historically, that is what has happened. Nowadays, Police and charities work hard to overcome that fear and to instil the confidence to support a prosecution but their efforts are undermined by sentences that, indeed, appear not to take domestic abuse seriously. What is urgent is that the courts condemn domestic abuse and reject any residual cultural acceptance there may be for it by dealing with it, on behalf of society, unequivocally as a serious wrong.

    On an Attorney General’s application, the Court of Appeal would certainly reinforce the Guidelines, compelling the Sentencing Council’s insight into the dynamics of domestic abuse onto those judges who lack it and expressing that condemnation themselves. But, they can\’t, because that great egalitarian Theresa May has neglected to change the law as she promised. Not for the first time in the domestic abuse arena, the Tories have let victims down.