UK PM's response to No10 custody death petition (intro)
4ward by Tippa Naphtali
28th April 2009
Well, finally some six months after the petition closed, and following months of complaints about the absence of feedback; The prime ministers office have responded to this petition which was signed by over 500 people.
I use the words ‘responded to’ with some caution, because rather unsurprisingly, we at 4WardEver UK are not surprised by the bog-standard and limp release from No10.
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Take a look at a previous related post:
Click Here >
One might have thought that given the recent examples of blatant brutality by G20 police, and the fact that an innocent bystander, Ian Tomlinson, died as a result of that brutality; any response from Gordon Brown might have been more considered and responsive to ALL the demands the petition set out.
One might also have thought that following a damning verdict at the recent inquest of Jean Charles de Menezes, Gordon Brown’s response would have been reflective of the public mood which was embodied in those inquest jurors whom made a brave and measured judgement based on the real facts previously hidden from public scrutiny.
Perhaps this is what we should expect from the Labour government, but what should we expect of ourselves in counter-response to this ‘response’?
Some of the points that Brown DID NOT respond to:
- Officers involved in custody deaths are suspended until investigations are completed.
- Police forces are made accountable to the communities that they serve.
- Legal Aid and full disclosure of information be made to the relatives of the victims.
- Officers and staff responsible for deaths should face criminal charges, even if retired.
Wasn’t the idea of the petition site of No10 to give citizens an opportunity for answers to their concerns…. Has No10 missed the point? We think so!
Finally, as a member of an affected family myself, the governments claim, quoted in full below, is a far cry to our own experiences following a death in custody, and rings extremely shallow for us as I’m sure it will for others:
“More generally, the Government seeks to help the families of those who die in state custody through the provision of timely, sympathetic information and support.”
4WardEver UK now welcomes your input regarding what action should be taken in response to this feeble attempt at an answer!
Read the Government’s response >
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Leave any suggestions for follow-up action below.
The 4WardEver UK Team
Related posts:
- PM’s response “not good enough”
- Family hit out at IPCC over death in custody
- Another death in custody
- Custody death: signs of mental illness
- Custody death man ‘could not breathe’
- On The Web (Issue No10)
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