REBECCA CAMBER: Nicola Bulley fiasco is driving police to make errors
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Imagine a world where a police officer who kills an innocent man, Tasering him before stamping on his head with such force that a boot imprint was left on the victim’s forehead, can remain nameless.It may sound like a disturbing tale from an authoritarian regime where law enforcers can rule with violence while remaining anonymous.But this happened not so long ago in Britain.Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson was beaten to death by police on August 15, 2016.
But when the officers were charged three years later, the force and the Crown Prosecution Service took the decision not to name them.Instead the CPS put out a press release saying: ‘The defendants have not been named…
This is due to our clear understanding that lawyers representing them will apply to the court for their clients to remain anonymous. This judicial decision will be taken in due course.’As Chair of the Crime Reporters Association, I felt I couldn’t stand by and let such a travesty occur. REBECCA CAMBER: Secret Justice and how the Nicola Bulley fiasco is driving the police to make another catastrophic error.
Pictured, Nicola Bulley, 45, who vanished while taking her dog for a walk in St Michael’s in Wyre before being found dead in a nearby river Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley answering questions from the London Assembly police and crime committee at City Hall in east London. The appearance comes after Baroness Casey’s review of the Met Police found Britain’s biggest police force is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic – and that there may be more officers like killer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David CarrickSo I complained to Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill.
As a result, those officers were later named. One of whom went on to be jailed for eight years for manslaughter.Now the College of Policing wants to change the rules to make it easier for police forces to withhold such vital basic information.Under new draft guidance, son dakika haberleri forces will be told that suspects charged with criminal offences ‘can be named’.Not ‘should be named’ as per the existing police guidance.This might sound like semantics — but it’s far more sinister.It goes on to say: ‘Forces should be more inclined to release charging information where the crime is of a serious nature, such as rape or murder, where the incident has already been reported in the media or on social media sites, or for public reassurance reasons.’So if an incident has been on Twitter or made the local papers, you might hear when a suspect is charged.
