Vera Baird DBE KC

Writer, Lecturer, Parliamentary Consultant and Co-Director of Astraea: Gender Justice

Category: Police & Crime Commissioner

  • Trade Union Bill.

    Trade Union Bill 18th September 2015 A few days ago, Parliament debated the Trade Union Bill. I expressed my grave reservations that the Bill gives the regulator (the certification officer) powers to impose fines on unions of up to £20,000 and would involve the police in dealing with union requests. As the government continue to…

  • Commissioner Baird speaks out on helping victims of domestic abuse

    Domestic abuse is not usually a one-off violent attack. More often it is a deliberate long-term use of coercion to control every part of someone’s life, It can be sexual abuse, financial control, constant criticism, isolation from family and friends, repeated threatening texts or stalking whenever the victim is out of sight – all are…

  • Male Victims of Domestic Violence Supported by Commissioner Funding

    More male victims of domestic abuse will receive help and support following funding from Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird. Commissioner Baird has awarded £2,000 to Community Counselling Cooperative from her Supporting Victims Fund – a fund set up and made available to organisations that have the aim of helping victims cope and recover…

  • Changing the Policing Landscape

    The Policing Landscape. Policing is at the heart of all communities, it creates safety and promotes confidence. However, the landscape on which policing in England and Wales is carried out has changed dramatically in recent years. Crime has been falling since the mid nineties but there has not been a corresponding reduction in demand for…

  • COMMISSIONER WELCOMES HMIC REPORT – VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND ADULTS NEED CARE, NOT CUSTODY.

    Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird has welcomed an HMIC report which finds that children need care, not custody. In January 2014, the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC to conduct a thematic inspection on the welfare of vulnerable people in police custody. The inspection looked at a number of areas which included those with mental…

  • Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner welcomes findings of Commons Education Committee

    The Commons Education Committee inquiry has reported that all schools in England should have to teach sex and relationships education (SRE) – this is an issue that Vera Baird has campaigned about for many years. The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Young people learn so much at school and from each other. “It’s important…

  • Vera Baird addressing national conference on the Investigation and Prosecution of Rape

    Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, will be addressing a national conference in London on Wednesday 28th January, which will be focusing on the Investigation and Prosecution of Rape. The conference, which is being hosted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), will hear from experts in this field, including Director of Public Prosecution,…

  • Commissioner Asks Public Advice on the 2015/16 Police Precept

    Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner is asking for the views of local residents on the amount of money households are asked to pay for its policing service. “As your Commissioner I have to set the police precept – the amount everyone pays directly for policing on their Council Tax bill – and I want to…

  • Northumbria Police – Top 100 employer for LGBT people.

    Northumbria Police has been recognised as one of the top 100 employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain. The news, which was welcomed by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird, comes as it was revealed Northumbria Police ranked 85th in the 2015 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index – the first time the force…

  • RSPB PRESS RELEASE – Police Commissioner fund helps protect Northumberland wildlife sanctuary

    PRESS RELEASE – Police Commissioner fund helps protect Northumberland wildlife sanctuary A community fund, set up by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird QC, has awarded the RSPB a grant of £2,000 to help prevent wildlife crime at its Coquet Island reserve. Situated a mile off the coast of Amble, Northumberland, Coquet Island is…