The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Justice (Edward Argar):...In respect of reporting and
shared standards, the hon. Lady (Kirsty Blackman (Aberdeen North)
(SNP)) will see in the strategy that we believe that transparency
is extremely important. We set out our plans to consult not only on
an expanded role and expanded powers for the Victims Commissioner,
in holding people and criminal justice system bodies to account,
but on an increased role for Police and Crime
Commissioners to monitor compliance in
their local areas with the code and what is being done, and to send
those reports upwards to the Criminal Justice Board and ultimately
to me as a Minister.
(Torbay) (Con): I
welcome the Minister to what I believe is his first statement at
the Dispatch Box. He has certainly set the bar high for his many
future statements.
The Minister probably noted yesterday that the police and crime
commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, , spoke out about her own
experience of being a victim in an abusive relationship over two
years. Would he give us a bit more detail about what role he sees
Police and Crime Commissioners playing in supporting victims,
particularly when some, such as my own, have personal experiences
of abusive relationships?
: I begin by
paying tribute to my hon. Friend’s police and crime commissioner.
She was incredibly brave to speak out, and by doing so, she has
helped to make it a little bit easier for others to feel
confident to speak out. I pay huge tribute to her for that.
As I highlighted earlier, we see an increased role for Police and
Crime Commissioners in this process, particularly in monitoring
and ensuring compliance with the victims code in their local
areas and improving transparency around that. Police and Crime
Commissioners are probably the part of the criminal justice
system who know their areas and localities best. I pay tribute to
them for their work and believe that they have a huge amount more
to contribute in this area...
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