Stop and Tase? – Criminal Law and Justice Weekly

Posted May 20th, 2013 in consultations, damages, judicial review, news, police, statistics, weapons by sally

“Last month saw the launch of the judicial review of the ‘Taser Roll-out Programme’. The landmark challenge comes after the Metropolitan Police Service and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) began the roll-out of Tasers across all 32 boroughs of London without holding a public consultation or providing the public with information about the Programme. Forty officers in each borough will be trained to use the Taser; eight officers per shift and two Emergency Response Teams will have Tasers with them at any one time. The judicial review also raises the issue that there was a legitimate expectation that the ‘Taser Policy’ across London would remain in force and that there is an arguable breach of art.2 and 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights in continuing with the implementation of the Programme.”

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Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 18th May 2013

Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk

Verdict on juries: placing blind trust in them helps no one – The Guardian

Posted May 15th, 2013 in internet, juries, jury directions, news, statistics by sally

“Almost a quarter of jurors in England and Wales currently misunderstand the restrictions on internet use during a trial, according to research just published.”

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The Guardian, 15th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Metropolitan police issue cautions for crimes including rape, figures reveal – The Guardian

Posted May 14th, 2013 in cautions, news, police, statistics by sally

“Nearly 29,000 cautions were handed to criminals by the Metropolitan police in the year to March for offences including robbery, drug-trafficking and rape.”

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The Guardian, 13th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Rape conviction rate at an all-time high – The Guardian

“Conviction rates for rape and domestic violence cases have risen to an all time high, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) has revealed, amid criticism that too few cases are being brought to court.”

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The Guardian, 23rd April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Justice by postcode: variety in magistrates’ sentences revealed – The Independent

Posted April 22nd, 2013 in magistrates, news, recidivists, sentencing, statistics by sally

“The number of criminals sent to prison by magistrates in England and Wales varies dramatically depending on which court does the sentencing, research reveals today.”

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The Independent, 22nd April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Minorities stopped disproportionally in decade after Macpherson report – The Guardian

Posted April 22nd, 2013 in equality, murder, news, police, racism, statistics, stop and search by sally

“Ethnic minority Britons were subjected to nearly one-and-a-half million more stop and searches in the 10 years after the Macpherson inquiry than if the police had treated them the same as white people, the Guardian can reveal.”

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The Guardian, 22nd April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence: how his murder changed the legal landscape – The Guardian

Posted April 22nd, 2013 in diversity, equality, murder, news, police, racism, statistics, stop and search by sally

“The Macpherson report made 70 recommendations – 67 led to specific changes in practice or law within two years of publication.”

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The Guardian, 22nd April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police powers and procedures in England and Wales 2011/12: user guide – Home Office

Posted April 19th, 2013 in investigatory powers, news, police, reports, statistics by sally

“This guide to Police Powers and Procedures Statistics is designed to be a useful reference guide with explanatory notes on the statistics.”

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Home Office, 18th April 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Rise in convictions of badger cruelty as RSPCA accused of using law to get to hunts – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 15th, 2013 in animal cruelty, hunting, licensing, news, prosecutions, statistics, video recordings by sally

“Badger cruelty prosecutions have almost doubled in five years, according to new figures, as the RSPCA is accused of using the law to target huntsmen.”

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Daily Telegraph, 14th April 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Barrister Conduct ‘Trends and Performance’ Report Released – Bar Standards Board

he Bar Standards Board’s Professional Conduct Department (PCD) has today released its third quarter ‘trends and performance’ report.

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Bar Standards Board, 8th April 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

New Justice Data Lab to help cut reoffending – Ministry of Justice

Posted April 2nd, 2013 in news, recidivists, rehabilitation, statistics by sally

“A pioneering new service giving charities and voluntary organisations more information about what works to reduce reoffending has been launched today.”

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Ministry of Justice, 2nd April 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Compensation culture: Fact or fantasy? – Speech by the Master of the Rolls

“In my Presidential address I want to examine ‘compensation culture’. This I imagine is something with which W. S. Holdsworth, notwithstanding his truly encyclopaedic knowledge of English law, would have been unfamiliar. We can let him off though. The term was apparently not coined until 1993; when it first appeared in The Times newspaper in an article by Bernard Levin entitled Addicted to welfare.”

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 15th March 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Rape myths not behind low conviction rate, says leading family lawyer – The Guardian

Posted March 25th, 2013 in news, prosecutions, rape, statistics, victims, witnesses by sally

“Helen Reece argues lack of independent witnesses is main cause of conviction rate which is similar to that of other crimes.”

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The Guardian, 25th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Six months, no jail sentences: call for controversial squatter law to be axed – The Independent

Posted March 25th, 2013 in homelessness, legislation, news, sentencing, squatting, statistics by sally

“Six months after new laws were introduced to ‘protect homeowners’ from squatters, police have not arrested a single person for displacing residents from their home, leading to calls for the legislation to be scrapped.”

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The Independent, 24th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

BSB’s monitoring programme improves compliance, shows new report – Bar Standards Board

Posted March 18th, 2013 in barristers, complaints, consultations, news, ombudsmen, statistics by sally

“A new report published recently by the Bar Standards Board shows the benefits of its recent monitoring programme.”

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Bar Standards Board, 15th March 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Manipulation of NHS figures to become criminal offence – The Guardian

Posted March 18th, 2013 in criminal responsibility, fraud, hospitals, news, statistics by sally

“Fiddling figures from NHS hospitals will become a criminal offence, Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is to announce.”

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the Guardian, 16th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Finance and Divorce Update – Family Law Week

Posted March 6th, 2013 in bills, civil partnerships, divorce, jurisdiction, news, ombudsmen, statistics by sally

“Anna Heenan, solicitor and David Salter, Joint Head of Family Law at Mills & Reeve LLP analyse February’s financial remedies and divorce news and cases.”

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Family Law Week, 5th March 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.com

43,000 strip-searches carried out on children as young as 12 – The Guardian

Posted March 4th, 2013 in child abuse, custody, inquiries, news, statistics, young offenders by sally

“A promise to end routine strip-searching of children in custody is being flouted, according to data revealing there were more than 43,000 recorded incidences involving children as young as 12 over a 21-month period – but in only 275 searches were illicit items found.”

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The Guardian, 3rd March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

QC appointments slip to all time low with 84 made up – The Lawyer

Posted February 27th, 2013 in news, queen's counsel, statistics by sally

“The number of barristers being awarded Queen’s Counsel status is on a downward trajectory with just 84 taking silk in the latest round, the lowest number since the system was reviewed in 2006.”

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The Lawyer, 27th February 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Can child porn users be treated? – BBC News

“A child protection charity says it is impossible to catch every person who looks at indecent images and more needs to be done to stop people from looking at them.”

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BBC News, 23rd February 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk