Time for a Victims' Ombudsman

Colin Stagg is finally vindicated. Robert Napper killed Rachel Nickell and the British Criminal Justice system has now confirmed it. It only took sixteen years. 

The story I think is possibly being missed here is the miscarriage of justice suffered by Napper's next victims, Samantha Bissett and her daughter Jazmine. When the criminal justice system gets it wrong, not only do the falsely accused suffer, but we all suffer.  The real perpetrators are allowed to roam free and destroy more lives. 

There is, quite rightly, a process for getting miscarriages of justice corrected. It takes time, too much time, but sometimes it works. Sadly there is no equivalent process for getting non-carriage of justice corrected. When no-one is convicted of an offence because of a failure in the system, there is no-one out there campaigning on behalf of the victims and the potential future victims.

That is why I think there is a need for a Victim's Ombudsman. Someone who can take up a case on behalf of victims and their families when the criminal justice system fails to do its job and secure justice.

Every now and again, for understandable reasons, and with the best intentions on the part of the individuals involved, the criminal justice system fails. Things fall between the cracks, get missed or messed up. Sometimes the policies, procedures, rules and regulations, drawn up with the best of intentions, don't quite work. 

When that happens in local government there is an Ombudsman who can take up a complaint, make a ruling and get the decision changed. Once a year a report comes out and sometimes the wrinkles get ironed out. There are Ombudsmen in all sectors who can write systemic wrongs. There is one for prisoners, there is one for estate agents, there is even one for the removal industry. Its time we had one for victims.

the art of the possible

To describing politics as, "The art of the possible," is to describe politics at its best. Sadly in the UK today politics is more a game of plodding along a predictable path. A tired government plodding through a crisis that some of us predicted. An opposition whose response is as predictable as panto. Is anything better possible?

The first job Obama had to do in the States in order to get elected was to convince his supporters that change was possible. In handing over the slogan, "Yes we can," he got his base to articulate and believe that they could win. It was possible for the US to elect a black president. It was possible to elect a president who would look after the economic interests of those worse off in society.

The next stage was to think about what would become possible after that. I was at a public meeting in Ohio during the election when Bill Richardson, now Obama's Commerce Secretary, launched into an extraordinary dream sequence in which he imagined the inauguration speech that a liberal president would make. It was possible to imagine a US president who would announce the closure of Guantanamo Bay, the end of torture by US proxies, a foreign policy that worked for peace rather than heightened hatred. It was possible for a US president to champion liberal social attitudes at home and abroad. It was possible.

So do we dare to imagine what is possible in the UK? Is it possible to create a society that values the strength of the community more highly than the strength of the pound. Can we raise real interest rates. Not the interest rates that obsess the monetary policy committee and the boys in the city but the rate of human interest in our neighbours, our families, our society. How interested are people in what is going on around them and how engaged are they in doing something about it?

Can we imagine a society where no-one is a victim of violent crime rather than one in which there are almost two murders every day. There are things that we could do that would create a safer society - but with our boringly predictable government and our boringly predictable opposition and our boringly predictable media we never will.

As I have recently "decided" to work for myself, I am now in a position where, for me, anything is possible. I am going to spend some time seeing what else is possible for our society and whether it is possible to do something more about it. Does anyone want to make an unpredictable response?

DNA data dilemma

The other day I was asked to comment on Channel Four News about the latest European ruling on DNA databases. Tediously, I couldn't comment as I was in the midst of parting company from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust (see posting below) where I have been the Chief Executive for the last year. 

Ever the media tart, its not like me to turn down an interview. However, this one might have given me a massive liberal dilemma. On behalf of a charity set up to represent the views of victims of violent crime and campaign for a safer society, I would have been obliged to take a very straight, pro-government line. Get as much data as possible into the hands of the police to increase the likelihood of bad people getting caught for doing bad things. The more likely people think they are to get caught, the less likely they are to commit the crime. Violent people are violent because they think that they will get away with it. More DNA data could lead directly to less violence. Good thing.

On the other hand, as a good liberal, I'm naturally suspicious of having too much information in the hands of the state. Knowledge is power. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely etc. etc. This government hasn't exactly covered itself in glory with how it has handled confidential information. I'm not sure I can trust this or any Government with my or anyone else's DNA. 

But I still want there to be less violent crime. 750 murders a year is 750 too many. A really good DNA database might go some way to bringing down the two million violent crimes every year. 

We need a wooly liberal compromise to get round this one. Here's my suggestion.

Get everyone's DNA data on a database, but don't let the Government get its hands on it. Give it to a University, or better still a group of Universities to manage. Set it up with a rock solid legal framework to ensure that the state can't abuse it. Let Shami Chakrabarti draft the legislation to protect it. 

Don't get tied up in knots about whether to get people who have been arrested but not convicted onto the database. Ask everyone in the country to submit a swab. 

I'd sooner go to prison than carry an ID card, but I would be happy for one of our great Universities, to have a copy of my DNA data and check it off against scene of crime samples. And if one of my relatives did something unpleasant and violent, I'd be happy for the police to find their way to them via me. 

Whilst they had the data, I wouldn't object if they did some general research with it too. Goodness only knows what they life enhancing science they might uncover with a complete national DNA database to study.

If some future Government were to try and abuse its powers, we could probably rely on some revolting students to take a stand. 

Make it voluntary if you like. The social pressure caused by the revulsion we all feel when we hear about the latest brutal murder would have people queuing up to have a swab taken.

We use the science of DNA to prevent and cure diseases. Why not use it to prevent the symptoms of the social disease of violence and aggression that kills 750 people every year and injures two million more?

 

Press Release

Suzy Lamplugh Trust today issued the following statement:

Chief Executive of Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Steven Gauge, has left his post by mutual consent in order to pursue a range of consultancy and other business opportunities.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Lawrie Philpott, said:

“During his time at the Trust, Steven has been unfailingly positive and enthusiastic. His charm and upbeat personality will be missed by staff and management alike.”

Owing to the present economic climate, the Trust will not be immediately replacing Steven.

Joint Directors of Personal Safety, Ann Elledge and Sarah Haddon, will take over the interim day-to-day running of the charity.

ENDS

Press/Media enquiries to: Jo Walker, Press Officer Tel: 07747 611308 E-mail – jo.walker@suzylamplugh.org