CPS Seeks Views on Prosecuting Crimes Against Older People
07/11/2007
The Crown Prosecution Service today launched a public consultation on prosecuting crimes against older people, seeking views on how it deals with crimes against them and how it supports those who are victims and witnesses.
Nigel Cowgill, Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS South Yorkshire said: We want older people, their families, communities and the general public to be confident that the CPS understands the serious implications of crimes against older people.
We will work with police, health and social care agencies, voluntary and community organisations, not only to gather evidence but to support older people during a case. If there is any evidence that there is an aggravating element to an offence based on a victims age, we will draw it to the attention of the court.
Safety and security, and the right to live free from the fear of crime, arising from mistreatment or abuse, are fundamental rights and go to the core of older peoples sense of well being. Feeling and being unsafe, or at risk, has a significant negative impact on older peoples health and sense of wellbeing and can leave them isolated and unable to participate socially and economically in their communities.
The draft policy has been produced through the work of a project group chaired by CPS Londons Chief Crown Prosecutor, Dru Sharpling, and involving representatives of key organisations working and researching in the field of age equality and older peoples experiences.
The type of crimes on which the CPS will focus includes:
- abuse or neglect where there is an expectation of trust, whether by family members, friends or paid workers, or where the older person is living either temporarily or permanently in an institution;
- crimes which are specifically targeted at older people because they are perceived as vulnerable or potentially easy to steal from, such as muggings, doorstep theft or rogue traders;
- crimes against older people which are in part or wholly motivated by hostility based on age.
Cowgill said: Stopping crimes against older people and bringing perpetrators to justice should be a priority for our society and for the CPS. The CPS recognizes its role in protecting older peoples rights by prosecuting offenders effectively and we invite people to respond to this consultation by giving us their views on how we can best do this.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The CPS has a number of public policy statements in various areas of hate crime, including public policy statements on Racist and Religious Crimes; Homophobic Crime; Domestic Violence and most recently Disability Hate Crime. The creation of this public policy statement on older people means that CPS will have in place policy statements covering all six equality strands by March 2008 (namely race, religion, disability, gender, sexuality and age).
- The consultation on the Policy for Prosecuting Crimes Against Older People is being launched during Inside Justice Week, where the public gets the chance to take a look behind the scenes of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales. Up and down the country events and activities are organised to show how justice is done in our police stations, courts and prisons. It is also an opportunity to reward good practice and allow all communities to get involved in the way the CJS works.
- The consultation period will last for three months and the closing date is January 31, 2008. The policy is expected to be in place by March 2008.
- The consultation document is available on the cps website at www.cps.gov.uk/consultations/cop_index.html