Liverpool car horror proves police transparency must always apply — whoever is to blame
Open justice
WHEN an incident unfolds as shocking and horrific as the car ramming at Liverpool FC's trophy parade, the public has a right to know as much information as possible, as quickly as possible.
Following Axel Rudakubana's murderous rampage in Southport last July, silence from the authorities allowed conspiracy theory, rumour and deliberate disinformation to fester online.
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This, in turn, fuelled terrible scenes of violence and destructive riots.
By revealing the ethnicity and age of the arrested suspect in the Liverpool incident within two hours - and swiftly ruling out terrorism - the police stopped malicious or kneejerk attempts to spread false narratives.
They were right to do so, and local politicians have expressed their support for the decision.
It's a welcome step back from recent sinister attempts by police and Government to muzzle our free press.
But the real test of our authorities' new-found spirit of sensible openness will come the next time there is a tragic incident or terrorist attack.
As Jonathan Hall, the Government's terror law reviewer, points out: 'The lesson has been learnt, don't give any fuel to the conspiracy merchants.
'You've got to roll with it.
'If it had been a Muslim, an Asian, a black man or woman, they would have to say that.
'You've got to be fully consistent.'
Having now embraced transparency, the public will not understand why they shouldn't always be given the full picture by the cops.
Whatever that may be.
E-bike blitz
So Government moves to crush mopeds, bikes and e-scooters used by criminal yobs within 48 hours rather than weeks to curb re-offending should be applauded.
Just one problem: how does this get-tough approach sit with Labour's prison reforms.
After all, they will mean thugs convicted of crimes which should attract a 12 months sentence are now a lot less likely to go to jail?
Reform rebirth
BRITAIN isn't having enough kids.
Instead, we have come to rely on importing more and more young workers from overseas in a faltering bid to get the economy growing, and pay the bills for our ageing society.
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This was the outcome in three in five investigations overall, including one in five investigations where the victim did support police action. Outcomes were similar in both years of available data. "In around half of cases, there are no external, physical, visible signs of injury. That's not to say that there aren't internal injuries that can't be seen just with the naked eye," said Ms Smailes, who is a research officer at IFAS. "It might be that that visible injury isn't present at the time of evidence capture that might develop over time, or because there's a difference in how individuals show bruising, for example those of different skin tones. That can contribute towards there not being enough perceived evidence to be able to progress with a police case," she said. In some cases where a victim disengages from police proceedings, it may be that they did not feel supported and believed in the process or felt that there were "too many obstacles". 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There are several potential reasons that a prosecution may be unsuccessful, including evidential difficulties or a victim withdrawing from the process. The accused may also have been convicted of a separate offence, but not for the strangulation. Without more detailed data, it is hard to determine to what extent each is contributing to the low conviction rate. Reflecting on the figures, head of policy and public affairs at domestic abuse support charity Refuge, Ellie Butt, told Sky News that victims often face "huge pressure" from perpetrators to drop out of the criminal justice process. "When compounded with lengthy court delays and insufficient support, many survivors are forced to withdraw from the process. Police and prosecutors should be working to build cases that can be taken forward even when a survivor can no longer continue," she said. The Crown Prosecution Service highlighted to Sky News that the number of new prosecution proceedings has been consistently increasing, particularly domestic abuse-related strangulation offences. In the latest quarter, 2,000 cases reached their first hearing at magistrates' court. Kate Brown, the CPS national lead for domestic abuse, said: "Three years on, we have continued to bring more charges quarter on quarter, with over 2,000 seen in court in the past three months. "This standalone offence has shone a light on those who seek to use these violent acts to exert power over another person and harm them. We are determined to continue bringing abusers to justice for victims." A gendered crime The new data from IFAS reinforces that strangulation is a gendered crime. Around 80% of victims whose gender was recorded by police were female, while 88% of suspects were male. The data also shows that while people from all ages are impacted, most victims are younger, with three in five aged 34 or under. The age profile of suspects was slightly higher, with three in five suspects aged between 25 and 44. 'I want to say it's not your fault' Sarah's case ended in evidential difficulties. Though her case was reported before 2022, when strangulation became a specific offence, she said she did provide substantial physical evidence to the police and she feels "let down" by the justice system. She said she has been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and other health issues. "I live with it every day. It can be a song that comes on the radio or a sign or somebody's name and it would just bring everything back to me to that point, that moment," she said. "I want to say it's not your fault. Nobody has the right to control you, nobody has the right to abuse you, rape you, strangle you. "I would urge anyone to speak out and if you feel like you haven't been heard and your voice has not been listened to, speak out again."
