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

Tag: Home Secretary

  • 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 bringing them and to abandon hundreds of victims, in order to make their conviction rate look better.

    I would be very surprised if there isn’t a judicial review here in the public interest.

    If the CPS think that this will make them look better to the public they need to think again. How appalling to put the appearance of their organisation before their obligations to the public.

    The CPS have reportedly been told to take “350 cases out of the system in order to increase their conviction rate 61%“. Before this diktat, these 350 cases seemingly would have passed the necessary test to be prosecuted (a greater than 50% likelihood of conviction by a jury). It seems that rape cases will now require a 60%, 70% or 80% likelihood of conviction – but only rape cases.

    The CPS knows that myths about woman and rape are rife amongst jurors as with the public at large. Their job is to use insight and skill to overcome these obstacles to justice. The reaction from some CPS staff shows their own shock at being told to stop trying and only prosecute rock solid certainties.

    Cases involving younger or more vulnerable complainants or those with mental health issues will all be in the “too difficult category” as set out by Messrs McGill and More. There couldn’t be a clearer signal to predatory criminals that if they abuse those victims the state will leave them alone. And there couldn’t be a more damaging sign of support for the rape myths that are still believed in our society.

    Guardian Article. Prosecutors have been urged to ditch “weak” rape cases to improve figures.

  • 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 see the bigger picture and the damage they are doing to communities across our region.

    In relation to policing, the Home Secretary needs to get a grip and start ensuring the various vital cooperation tools / mechanisms enabling the UK and the EU police forces to work together to prevent and tackle crime and threats to regional and national security are in place. He also needs to address the potential impact on the future incompatibility between EU and UK laws and the rights the UK could lose by falling out of the EU’s jurisdiction and legal framework. We need continued use of shared law enforcement databases and EU arrest warrants which have assisted Northumbria Police on many occasions, nationally last year 1,735 arrests were made in the UK and more than 10,000 people have been extradited since 2004. In 2017 the Schengen Information System (SIS) which is a European database used by the police to search for terrorist suspects, missing people and to check vehicle registrations and passport details was checked nearly 540 million times by police officers in the UK – it’s imperative that the Home Secretary and his department ensure that these services are still available to Northumbria Police after March 2019. Northumbria Police plays a vital role in national security and the safety of the public in our region and we can’t allow the good work police officers and staff undertake be put in jeopardy if the government doesn’t get its act together to ensure detailed arrangements are in place – we work with partners to tackle crime such as human trafficking and serious organised crimes and police officers need the tools to get the job done, not Boris and his cronies fighting for the next media headline.

    Theresa May now needs to move away from accepting a possible “no deal” outcome on Brexit, as this will cause chaos and confusion for policing and security services. She has a duty to deliver the best deal possible that will ensure the continued safety of residents. We are fast approaching March 2019 and policing needs considerable additional resources at a local and national level for policing to operate using non-EU services, and in all reality, whatever is put in place to deal with a no-deal outcome will be an inferior standard to what is already in place. It is hoped that the government and EU will have agreed terms for leaving by October – that’s very optimistic as there is a great more deal work to be done.

    I agree fully with Richard Martin, deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police and the NPCC lead on Brexit, when he said “it is in the interests of both sides to negotiate an arrangement that allows for continued close working, whether as part of existing mechanisms or negotiated alternatives. Without such arrangements, both UK police and EU member states will lose capabilities including identifying criminals and missing persons who cross our borders, detaining and swiftly surrendering suspects under EAWs, quickly identifying previous history of offending or the sharing biometric data”

    There is a job to be done, Theresa May needs to get on with it and I stand with other Labour Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales demanding it is done with the interests of safety and delivering effective policing running through the heart of any deal.

  • Google and others – need to get it right!

    It’s of great concern that internet providers such as Google are helping users uncover the identity of rape and sexual assault victims – who by law, have their anonymity protected for life.

    Here in the North East, a case involving footballer, Adam Johnson saw his victim named on social media, (at times assisted by Google algorithm which anticipates what a person is looking for) – this is a clear a breach of the law and social media / search engine companies need to be accountable for their actions, they need to be doing far more than they are to take down names and report offenders to the police. Twitter has the power to block certain names from appearing on their site and to take material down when instructed to do so by the Home Office – this is the sort of firm action that needs to be taken by providers of search engines and social media companies, however, they shouldn’t wait for an instruction from the Home Office, they should be ensuring that the law is adhered to on their platforms.

    We all have a role in ensuring that the anonymity law is respected by the media (in whatever format). During the Adam Johnson investigation, the former editor of the Sun newspaper was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act after a pixelated photograph of the victim was printed by the tabloid. No matter how pixelated the photograph, it is wrong for an editor to merely claim that he did not know he was committing an offence. The Judge correctly identified that it would have still been possible for the teenager to be identifiable by people familiar with her Facebook profile. Durham Police at the time said “ What Dinsmore did in the Sun was legally and morally wrong. As a victim of a sexual offence, the identity of this child should have been protected. Instead her picture, although pixelated, was plastered across a national tabloid. She was not fair game, she was a child who was groomed by a person in power for his own sexual gratification.”

    Alongside the photo incident, Facebook had been forced to remove a page set up in support of an appeal for Johnson – before it was taken down, it had received over a thousand likes and the page contained critical comments about the victim. I fully appreciate that this is a difficult crime to tackle, but something needs to be done. Complainants in sex offence cases have automatic lifelong anonymity and breaching this law currently brings with it a fine of up to £5000. However, this deals with the problem after the event, we need action when it happens.

    In 2012, a Juror was jailed for six months for discussing a trial, another example was where a man received a suspended jail term for tweeting images purporting to identify a man given life-long anonymity. We need the police to work much more closely with social media / search engine providers, as a society we want to embrace the good of the internet, but we must also be willing to address the harm that it brings. These cases are only the tip of the iceberg and nationally we need to take action. I have sent a copy of this article to the new Home Secretary to see how his department can support local police forces. We also need “buy in” from the likes of Twitter and Facebook – just because they are “hosted” outside this country doesn’t mean they are immune to UK law – if it can be read and shared in the United Kingdom they must adhere by our laws.

    Northumbria Police are committed to doing all they can to support victims. Now we need funding from central government to address what is in effect a “cyber-crime”.

    The Home Secretary also needs to present to Parliament proposals for stronger sentences against those who reveal victims’ names, the men who named the complainant in the Ched Evans case were ordered to pay £624 in compensation each, this weak judgement gives others confidence to break the law and we need to stop that.

  • Remarkable U-turn forced on government by PCCs.

    Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird, commenting on today’s Spending Review in which the Chancellor agreed to protect police funding in real terms over the next four years said:

    “This is a remarkable u turn. Only a few days ago sources close to the Chancellor showed him determined to cut policing by up to 25% again, giving rise to fear that we would lose much of the neighbourhood policing our public values so highly.

    “A concerted campaign by police and by Police and Crime Commissioners of both major political parties, heavily supported by the public has made George Osborne quickly come to terms with the post-Paris reality. It would have been the height of irresponsibility to slash funding causing the loss of thousands more police, on top of the 17000 already lost nationwide at a time when the French are increasing their force by 5000 officers. More police not less are needed if we are to prevent and, if the unthinkable happens, to cope with the kind of scattered but co-ordinated attacks we saw in Paris and Mali in the last two weeks

    “As ever the devil is in the detail. A letter from the Home Secretary this afternoon says that there will actually be a small cut of 1.3% over four years. It also indicates no funding to pay for the increase in cash for counter-terrorism announced, nor for the pledged enhancement to mobile communications, nor to fund collaborative back office savings. That suggests that these funds will be sliced off the top of our cash once it has been received. This could well mean less cash for local policing after all.

    “We will know Northumbria’s share of this funding in December. We really deserve a larger share than we currently receive. Following the government’s failure to complete a new funding allocation formula, our next challenge will be to make sure that we get that extra share and not the reduction of £16M which their latest proposal – now abandoned – would have led to.

    “Meanwhile it is good that Osborne has listened and while there are still cuts to be made from the last budget reductions, Northumbria Police will be sufficiently funded to continue the excellent job it does to protect the public.”

  • Northumbria receiving national recognition

    Special mention was made of the work being undertaken by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird by the Home Secretary Theresa May at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ Annual Conference in Harrogate.

    Mrs May was recognising the work of Commissioners from across England and Wales when she made special mention of the Northumbria Commissioner.

    The Home Secretary was talking about engaging with local communities and recognised that Commissioners such as Mrs Baird had raised the profile of the role and shown that they could make a difference.

    She said: “As Vera Baird, the Police and Crime Commissioner in Northumbria, has said: ‘My post bag and the hundreds of meetings I go to make clear the public is now well aware of the presence of commissioners and very interested to hear about them and hold them to account.’”

    Mrs Baird added: “When I was elected, I promised to keep in touch with local residents by attending meetings and events and by being accessible – this is exactly what I have done and will continue to do. The mail that comes into my office far exceeds anything the Police Authority received.  It’s good that local residents see me as being accessible and a voice for them in ensuring Northumbria Police is delivering for local communities.”

    The Home Secretary also recognised that Police and Crime Commissioners can be innovative and forward thinking, saying: “In Northumbria, Vera Baird’s work has led to the creation of 165 Domestic and Sexual Violence Champions in workplaces, clubs and public spaces, among other important initiatives.”

    Mrs Baird added: “We will continue to drive change and implement changes that will make a difference to serious issues.  As Police and Crime Commissioner I have the ability to bring partners together to address issues and drive forward change – this has happened with the Vulnerability Training and the workplace Champions strategy.”

    As we head towards a General Election, all parties have put forward different ways of dealing with police governance.

    Vera Baird said: “It’s vitally important that police governance engages with the public and that they have a voice.  The Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is right to have this discussion, to learn what has gone well since the creation of PCCs and to ensure that the public continue to be fully engaged and have confidence in police governance and that police officers continue to serve the communities they work in.”