Policing - new material (68)
01 March 2004
A new system for police complaints, Stephen Cragg. Legal Action April 2004, pp7-9. This article considers the major changes between the Police Complaints Authority and the new Independent Police Complaints Commission, which replaced the old body on 1 April. The author considers the major areas of independent investigation, appeals, disclosure, conduct, public hearings and inspections as well as "practicalities" such as transitional arrangements. Cragg concludes that: "...there have been few changes to the disciplinary procedures that would follow a successful complaint. Many feel that these procedures are over-protective of police officers, and that the role of complainants is too limited...Perhaps this should be the next area of reform - to ensure that errant police officers are disciplined properly."
Greece: Highly irregular police investigation into the ill-treatment of Romani men by police officers, Panayote Dimitras. Roma Rights No 4, 2003 pp138-142. Detailed account of the ill treatment of two Romani youths at the hands of police. Dimitras argues the case to be important as it is a typical example of the "problems Roma and their advocates face in accessing effective redress for ill-treatment, injury or death at the hands of law enforcement officers in Greece" (p142). Despite multiple requests the Greek Ombudsman has yet to investigate any of the multiple alleged breaches of police discipline and authority. In addition lawyers have shown an increased unwillingness to handle cases involving allegations of police ill treatment (p141). Available from 1386 Budapest 62, P.O. Box 906/93, Hungary, office@errc.org
Police station law and practice update, Ed Cape. Legal Action April 2004, pp11-14. Latest update on developments in law and policy affecting police station practice. Cape discusses the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 that amend the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and significant changes to extradition, including the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant introduced by the Extradition Act 2003.
Recording of stops and implementation guide in response to Recommendation 61 of the Stephen Lawrence report. Home Office 2004, pp28. This report considers implementation of the MacPherson report's recommendation that: "The Home Secretary, in consultation with Police Services, should ensure that a record is made by police officers of all "stops" and "stops and searches" made under any legislative provision...Non-statutory or so called "voluntary" stops must also be recorded. The record to include the reason for the stop, the outcome, and the self-defined ethnic identity of the person stopped. A copy of the record shall be given to the person stopped." It considers, among other areas, the effectiveness of recording of stops in tackling crime, data collection and storage and the police authority role. The phased implementation of recording stops and searches began in 2003 and all police forces should be recording them by April 2005. The Home Secretary envisages "electronic communication" as the preferred option for recording the data.
Stop and search complaints (2000-2001): Summary, Siobhan Havis & Dr David Best. Police Complaints Authority (March) 2004, pp23, ISBN 0-9543215-5-3 (£5). This study is based on two research studies and raises "questions that require considerable further investigation." In particular, "the finding that black people experience a different kind of dissatisfaction about stop and searches than do white people, and that the incidents they complain about are intrinsically different. This compounds the finding that there is a disproportionality in complaints about stop and search from black complainants markedly in excess of what would be anticipated as a result of the Home Office data on overall rates of stops by ethnicity."
The lottery winner, the gangster turned MI6 agent and a £4m sting, Keith Dovkants. Evening Standard 18.3.04, pp18-19. Interesting article on £8m lot