 www.dorsetvictimsupport.org www.policeinefficiency.com |
Minestry of Justice - Louise Casey Victims Minister |
Sent: 17 January 2011 14:42 Dear Miss Casey I am surprised and somewhat bemused by the fact that the home office now has a victims commissioner. This can be seen as a positive step forward now that you are incumbent in that position, providing of course you can actually do something positive to stop victims from having their lives devastated and continuing to be victims. The reason i am somewhat bemused is because the police forces are under the ultimate control of the home office through their respective police authorities, who take direction from the home office. Therefore there is a whole swathe of victims of the police forces and subsequently the police authorities when these victims try to invoke the complaints procedure when dealing with police misconduct from senior police officers. In trying to invoke the complaints procedures and lobby members of the police authorities, it only exasperates the situation by making these people victims again by the very complaints handling apparatus that was supposed to have given them redress. The IPCC is not fit for purpose. It has numerous commissioners in different parts of the country responsible for different police forces, with each commissioner earning a six figure salary, along with their support staff and managers, paid salaries commensurate with those positions. Most victims believe that this is just jobs for the boys and girls, as all the IPCC can do in the case of criminal allegations of misconduct and neglect of duty by these officers, is refer the criminal allegations of misfeasance etc., to the same force that is being complained about. It is like asking Ronald Kray to investigate Reggie. In the case of complaints against ACPO officers, the IPCC oversees these criminal allegations being sent to the police authorities to be dealt with. Incumbent members of the police authority complaints committee, along with the clerk or chief executive to the police authority are there to support these ACPO officers, and mot there to discipline them, or have them investigated for criminal or disciplinary offences. In fact the police authority members are wining and dining with these officers at the rate and tax payers expense, and attending civic receptions for criminal justice board awards ceremonies. All the IPCC can do in the case of the negligent shooting of a brazilian electrician on his way to work is to refer it to the CPS. All the IPCC can do about these illegal common law criminal offence of common assault on the newspaper salesman. Ian Tomlinson, is refer it to the CPS. The senior CPS prosecutors are wining and dining or having tea and sandwiches with these same ACPO officers who have a vested interest in covering up the misconduct of their officers, when the prosecutors and senior officers are sitting down together at criminal justice board meetings, paid for by the tax payers. This only exasperates the situation, thus diverting the criminal allegations of misconduct and neglect of duty into civil litigation, where even if these victims are successful, the compensation will ultimately be paid by the rate payers/tax payers, thus in turn making them indirect victims, by them picking up the public bill for this misconduct, whilst the officers responsible never face a disciplinary or criminal charge. As a result of this, i was a founder member of the Dorset Victims Support Organisation, not to be confused with victim support dorset, and i have helped launch several websites outside the uk and outside the jurisdiction of the uk courts. This is so that victims of the authorities in this country will have a platform to document their grievances, and show that all those officers in the criminal justice system are being well paid to cover up, or fail to deal with the grievances of these victims. We have also launched our own tv channel at www.dorsetpolice.tv, using the broadband internet to show our own documentary films on the plight of these victims. We have also launched websites at www.dorsetvictimsupport.org, www.dorsetpolice.com & www.hmcourts-service.info Our organisation will shortly be holding a public meeting with a view to our leafleting campaign in dorset and other mefia advertising nationally, promoting these websites. Our organisation would be happy for you to attend that meeting, whic we hope will enlighten you on the broader aspects as to why these victims have to go to these lengths in a proportionate responce for the covering up and failure to deal with misfeasance. Yours respectfully. Mr. Gerald Coulter ~ Chairman ~ D.V.S.O IN REPLY -----Original Message----- Hello Mr Coulter, Thank you very much for your email and for sharing your views with us, as well as your kind invitation to your public meeting. Although Louise Casey will not be able to attend the meeting in Dorset, she shares in your endeavour to encourage victims to have a louder voice. Louise is the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses, which is a role independent of Government, and she is not a government minister. She and her team do not have the power to make the changes that we think should occur in the system, but we do encourage and influence the debate, highlight the sorts of problems you describe, and recommend ways that the system might be able to make improvements. For example, she agrees with you that the right of redress for people who feel let down by the criminal justice system should be much better, simpler, and more robust, and this is one of the things she has called for as Commissioner. If you are interested, more details on the work of the Commissioner can be found at www.victimscommissioner.org.uk. Thanks again for taking the time to contact us. Miriam Minty
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