Lord Dholakia (LD):...One idea behind setting up the Crown
Prosecution Service was to determine whether it was in the public
interest to prosecute. Was the CPS brought into discussions or was
this a unilateral action by the police not to record? We have
repeatedly commented on the low levels of prosecution for crimes
such as rape and violence; it is obvious that such cases never
reached the stage where courts could determine innocence or guilt.
We are aware that the chief constable has...Request free trial
(LD):...One idea behind setting up the Crown
Prosecution Service was to determine whether it was in the public
interest to prosecute. Was the CPS brought into discussions or was
this a unilateral action by the police not to record? We have
repeatedly commented on the low levels of prosecution for crimes
such as rape and violence; it is obvious that such cases never
reached the stage where courts could determine innocence or guilt.
We are aware that the chief constable has stepped down, but we must
question the role of Police and Crime Commissioners Surely,
they must have taken their eyes off this unacceptable practice. We
must accept that victims of violence have often missed counselling
and support services because their complaint was not recorded. How
can we put any faith in British crime statistics if this is how
matters are being dealt with?
(CB) [V]:...I appreciate that domestic abuse
cases are extremely demanding of manpower, resources and specialist
expertise, such as in psychology. I have no doubt that they involve
some of the most secretive and convoluted aspects of human
relationships. I am particularly indebted to Mrs , the Sussex
police and crime commissioner, for briefing me,
and I pay tribute to her pioneering work and positive approach in
dealing with stalking and creating perpetrator programmes. I
understand the point that one perpetrator may give rise to numerous
victims, so I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Burt, that
perpetrator programmes are a vital area of investment and should be
expanded. Domestic homicide reviews also suggest that better
inter-agency collaboration is needed, which evidently is not the
case in all areas. We should certainly encourage more local
initiatives...
(Con):...Before responding, I acknowledge that the general
welcome for the provisions in the Bill was accompanied by calls for
it to be extended into new areas. There were three in particular,
but the first two raised were the provision of community-based
support for all victims and access to safe accommodation by migrant
victims who have no recourse to public funds. A number of noble
Lords, including my noble friends Lady Chisholm and Lady Bertin,
the noble Lords, and , the noble Baronesses, Lady Burt, Lady Armstrong, Lady
Lister, Lady Hussein-Ece and Lady Wilcox of Newport, and the right
reverend Prelate the , talked
about this, as did other noble Lords. In fact, almost every noble
Lord talked about it, and we recognise that more needs to be done
to ensure adequate provision of community-based support, but it
would not be right to impose new duties on public authorities in
this Bill without first understanding the gaps in existing
provision and consulting with local authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners
and others who would be subject to any new duty...
...My noble friends Lady Bertin and , the noble Lords, , and , the
noble Baronesses, Lady Watkins and Lady Royall, and the noble Earl,
, called for a perpetrator strategy, the expansion of
perpetrator programmes and the better management of perpetrators.
We continue to work with local areas to support effective
commissioning of domestic abuse services, including high-quality,
safe perpetrator programmes. Indeed, in this financial year, we are
investing more than £7 million into direct perpetrator-focused
interventions through Police and Crime Commissioners to
prevent abuse. Our forthcoming domestic abuse strategy provides an
opportunity for us to build on the foundations of the Bill in order
to transform the response to domestic abuse. The strategy will
include specific work to tackle perpetrators and to prevent
offending...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
|
