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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:04 pm
Time: 12:04 pm
Results for sexual violence (u.k.)
2 results foundAuthor: Independent Police Complaints Commission Title: The Abuse of Police Powers to Perpetuate Sexual Violence Summary: In January 2011 former Northumbria police constable Stephen Mitchell was jailed for life for a number of serious sex attacks against women he met through his job. The abuse of police powers for purposes of sexual exploitation, or even violence, is something that fundamentally betrays the trust that communities and individuals place in the police. It therefore has a serious impact on the public’s confidence in individual officers and the service in general. It is essential to ensure that systems are in place to prevent, monitor and deal swiftly with any individual who exploits that trust. For that reason, and in the light of the Mitchell conviction, the IPCC and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) separately began examining this type of case. This joint report draws from both pieces of work. Both organisations recognised the value of sharing findings and identifying common themes, to increase public confidence that there is a commitment to tackle this kind of abuse and to assist the police service as whole and individual forces to identify and prevent it. It is not possible to know precisely how many people have been victims of police officers or staff abusing their powers. There is no evidence to suggest it is commonplace, but nor can we be confident that all such cases are reported. Each of the cases in this report represents a serious betrayal of the trust and confidence that individuals should have in the police. Together, they reveal a number of themes that underlie this kind of behaviour. They include the need to ensure robust standards of vetting, including for sensitive or vulnerable posts; provide effective supervision to identify worrying trends, ensure proper boundaries and respond to reported concerns; effectively use and manage intelligence; and review individual cases in order to identify lessons. The report includes a checklist of questions for the service as a whole and for individual forces. The behaviour described in this report has parallels with abuses carried out by other professionals, such as those in healthcare and social work and the clergy. All are people who are in a privileged position of power – and trust – within society. In the context of the police service, however, this behaviour is also a form of corruption and it should be dealt with as such. The police service has a responsibility to do everything in its power to prevent such abuse, identify as soon as possible if it occurs, deal with it effectively and learn lessons quickly. The report urges senior leaders in the police service to be alert and determined to root out this kind of abuse of power. All cases of serious corruption cases should be referred to the IPCC. That includes all cases involving sexual exploitation by officers or police staff, which the IPCC will prioritise and investigate independently wherever possible. Work in this area has been greatly assisted by a leading academic and two voluntary sector organisations who have specialist knowledge in this area: Professor Liz Kelly of London Metropolitan University, Davina James- Hanman of Against Violence and Abuse and Dianne Whitfield of Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre and Rape Crisis (England & Wales). Their insight and practical suggestions have been invaluable in the development of our thinking. There is no doubt that the specialist knowledge and services offered by these and many other national and local voluntary sector organisations could be used by the police service to assist with cases involving sexual exploitation by police officers and staff – for example, in supporting victims and encouraging reporting. This report therefore recommends that police forces establish or improve relationships with organisations that have specialist knowledge of sexual exploitation and abuse. This report is a first step in understanding the scale and nature of the problem and setting out the way forward. More work and resources are needed to build on this foundation, learning from experience and the recommendations and insights in this report. Both ACPO and the IPCC are committed to doing so. Details: London: Independent Police Complaints Commission, 2012. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed 14, 2012 at http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/investigation_commissioner_reports/abuse_of_police_powers_to_perpetrate_sexual_violence.PDF Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/investigation_commissioner_reports/abuse_of_police_powers_to_perpetrate_sexual_violence.PDF Shelf Number: 126704 Keywords: Complaints Against the Police (U.K.)Police Corruption (U.K.)Police Ethics (U.K.)Police Misconduct (U.K.)Sexual Exploitation (U.K.)Sexual Violence (U.K.) |
Author: Rehal, Manjit Title: The Price of Honour: Exploring the Issues of Sexual Violence within South Asian Communities in Coventry Summary: Sexual violence is an appalling crime that constitutes a serious public and human rights problem. It can devastate the lives of victims, survivors and their families and inspire fear in our communities. It has both short and long-term consequences for victims and survivor's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing. It also has significant consequences for the public purse and for the economy. This report highlights some of the key issues that have prevented victims of sexual violence, from Asian communities within Coventry, disclosing or reporting their abuse. In particular it highlights how victims can be silenced by a culture of so called honour and shame. This has resulted in many victims being unable to access support and pursue justice for the abuse which they have experienced. Details: Coventry, UK: CRASAC, 2014. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed October 15, 2014 at: http://www.crasac.org.uk/uploads/2/1/6/0/21603882/the_price_of_honour_full_report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crasac.org.uk/uploads/2/1/6/0/21603882/the_price_of_honour_full_report.pdf Shelf Number: 133923 Keywords: RapeSexual AssaultSexual Violence (U.K.)Violence Against Women |