Category: BLOG
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Consultation on taxi licensing to protect passengers.
‘The current taxi licensing system is unfit for purpose and requires an urgent re-think’ says Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, following today’s (12, February, 2019) government announcement to launch a consultation on rules to improve passenger safety. Dame Vera has repeatedly expressed concerns over the granting of taxi licences and the application…
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HOME SECRETARY FAILS NORTH EAST COMMUNITIES – say North East PCCs
The three Police and Crime Commissioners for the North East have today slammed the Home Secretary for increasing council tax bills to fund policing, instead of the Government providing a fair funding settlement for the communities of Cleveland, Durham & Darlington and Northumbria. Residents across the North East of England are facing a significant increase…
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BAIRD SLAMS CPS
Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC responds to reports that Prosecutors have been urged to ditch “weak” rape cases to improve figures. Dame Vera Baird said “This approach is completely hostile to the principle of access to justice. The point of the CPS is to bring fair prosecutions, not to deliberately avoid…
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Labour Conference 2018 Blog.
It was great to be at Labour Party conference in Liverpool – it’s always good to catch up with old friends, listen to debate and to see CLP delegates from across the country debating Labour Party policy and helping influence our party manifesto that may be needed sooner, rather than later. Conference once again shows…
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Brexit needs the best deal possible, not a no deal!
As the dark nights start to draw in, I think the Prime Minister will be having many dark days – wondering how to control her rebels over Brexit. The government are making a monumental hash up of this process, it is stumbling from crisis to crisis and as they do this they are failing to…
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Tory “Summer of Discontent” – We need change NOW!
The sun has certainly been blazing down – in the world of politics you could be forgiven for thinking this is Theresa May’s “Summer of Discontent” – she lost Boris from the Foreign Office, she lost David from the Brexit Office, her great plan for Brexit that she drew up at Chequers is now nigh…
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Why MP Chope was wrong…….
As June comes to a close, we have seen the Tories losing control through the actions of Sir Christopher Chope MP – he shouted out the word “object” which stopped the bill to make upskirting a specific sexual offence under English law. His reason for stopping the bill, was that he wasn’t aware of the…
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OPCC signs up as a Mindful Employer
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria has signed up as a Mindful Employer. Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC is now a signatory for the voluntary charter, which encourages organisations to show a positive attitude to employees and job applicants with mental health issues. The Commissioner joins almost 1,900 organisations that have…
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North East PCCs call to reduce the breathalyser limit
Today, the government has announced a number of measures to improve road safety – but miss out one important factor, reducing the limit. The three North East PCCs welcome any initiative that will help make our roads safer, but Commissioner Baird, along with her colleagues, Ron Hogg, PCC for Durham and Barry Coppinger, PCC for…
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Commissioner Baird calls on Home Secretary to take lead from Scottish Government
Labour MSPs have successfully ensured that the Scottish Government will hold an independent review into the actions of the police during the miners’ strike in Scotland. Dame Vera Baird QC, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria who was one of the barristers defending northern miners in the Orgreave Trial and who also acted in many…