Why we need an independent public inquiry into suspicious deaths in custody.

A heartfelt letter was delivered to the Prime Minister from the UFFC (United Friends and Family Campaign). The letter called on him to respond to the scandal of suspicious deaths in custody and set up a public inquiry. The Government rather short-sightedly rejected this demand.

Police kettle the UFFC March outside 10 Downing St. in 2011 (Photo by Dee Constantine-Simms)

At the time of Mark Duggan’s shooting by the Met Police in Tottenham in August of 2011 the family were desperate for answers. Such is the statutory contempt with which British black communities are now viewed, it was not felt remotely necessary to contact the Duggan family to explain what had happened to their son, brother and father. I have written on this issue before and you can read more here.

 Last October the UFFC organised a march of families to Downing Street to deliver their letter to number 10. Unbelievably, the Metropolitan Police attacked that peaceful march. Despite attending one of the last meetings of the Metropolitan Police Authority raising our objections and the Commissioner himself promising UFFC a meeting, to date the Commissioner has not organised this meeting.



(Picture by Dee Constantine-Simms)



One would have thought that even the most callous indifference in political circles would have recognised the need to positively respond to both the UFFC complaint and the need to urgently contact the Duggan family at the time of the tragic killing. Not so, such indifference and gross insensitivity are now the statutory stock Government and police response to acute black concerns.

The UFFC letter demanding a public inquiry represents families of all races of and faiths. All united, having endured the lack of accountability of the police, the infectiveness of the Independents Police Commission and the antiquated medieval Inquest process.

(Photo by Dee Constantine-Simms)

These processes leave most families doubly victimized as a consequence of a search for the truth, frustrated by a process of administrative injustice that is stacked against them.

We should not be surprised however as the contempt of this Government and the Police is palpable. What little response we do get can be best characterised as patronising drivel, carefully orchestrated into bleeding heart headline sound bites. All designed to convey a level of political concern that is betrayed by biased partiality.

Our marginalisation even extends to all sections of Whitehall. For example, there is not a single black or ethnic minority organisation in the UK sat at the Government policy table.

These issues as so tragically demonstrated in August 2011, continue to have the power and potential to ignite alienated communities, whose deep distrust of the police can result in riotous carnage ripping thorough British cities.

The consequence’s of such profound marginalisation is growing levels of anger that remains unrecognised by the politicians until it is too late.

In order to avoid future civil unrest and begin the process of restoring trust and confidence in the police we need an open and transparent judicial public inquiry. This would have the effect of providing families and communities with hope that justice will be done and statutory agencies will be held to account. An Inquiry would bring parity and justice for families seeking the truth when their loved ones die in suspicious circumstances.

To novitiate this demand we should call on Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee to conduct a scrutiny on this issue.

Given the forthcoming London Mayoral elections we should also call on upon the new head of the Met Police, Boris Johnson, to immediately set up an independent judicial inquiry into this issue. He now has the power and the budget to do so. And so I ask that we now all fully support the recently launched email petition for a public inquiry launched by the UFCC.

Humanitarian justice demands it. The collective peace and safety of British cities may well depend on it.

Lee Jasper

Click here to sign: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26276

Official launch of UFFC No.10 Petition re: deaths in custody UK

No:10 Petition - 2012

Deaths in police, prison, mental health & immigration detention

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26276

The United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC) calls for an independent judicial inquiry into all suspicious deaths in custody.

UFFC is a coalition of families and friends of those that have died in the custody of police and prison officers as well as those who died in psychiatric and immigration detention. It also has members and supporters from campaign groups and advocacy organisations from across the UK.

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody report published in 2011 states: in total, there were 5,998 deaths recorded for the 11 years from 2000 to 2010. This is an average of 545 deaths per year. Despite the fact there have been 11 unlawful killing verdicts since 1990 there has never been a successful prosecution.

Our joint efforts have yielded some results. The police self-investigation of deaths was replaced by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman now investigates deaths in prison and immigration detention. The Attorney General was forced to undergo a review of the role of the Crown Prosecution Service, and corporate manslaughter laws are now extended to custody deaths.

However, these reforms have not addressed the lack of justice in outstanding cases. We believe that equitable dispensation justice in the UK must be done and be seen to be done if the general public are to enjoy high levels of trust and confidence in the fair administration of justice.

The poor quality and speed of independent investigations conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and an Inquest process that is seriously under resourced, subject to delay and limited in remit and is not fit for purpose. Both critically fail to protect or support the rights of victims or their families.

Our Demands:

1.  Replacement of the IPCC to ensure open robust transparent and thorough investigations from the very outset of police deaths in custody - with a removal of all ex-police officers for it to be a truly independent body.

2.  The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman should be placed on a statutory footing.

3.  Deaths in psychiatric detention and / or of those detained under the Mental Health Act must be subject to a system of properly funded investigation that is completely independent of the Health Service.

4.  Officers and officials directly involved in custody deaths are suspended until investigations are completed.

5.  Immediate interviewing of officers and all officials concerned with the death.

6.  Officers and officials should never be allowed to collude over their evidence and statements of fact.

7.  Full and prompt disclosure of information to the families affected.

8.  Prosecutions should automatically follow ‘unlawful killing’ verdicts at Inquests and officers responsible for those deaths should face criminal charges, even if retired.

9.  Implementation of police body cameras and cameras in all police vehicles in the interests of both the officers and the public.

10.             There should be an automatic right to non means tested legal aid for families. There is a lack of funds for family legal representation at Inquests whilst officers and NHS staff get full legal representation from the public purse – this is unbalanced.

US civil rights veteran, Rev Jesse Jackson supports the inquiry campaign.

Petition Link:  http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26276

UFFC website:  http://uffc-campaigncentral.net/


UFFC Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Families-Friends-Campaign-UFFC/308702409174443?sk=wall
        

Facebook Petition page:  http://www.facebook.com/events/167075506731920/

For those wishing to lobby their local MP: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

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INJUSTICE - watch full documentary now at:  http://vimeo.com/34633260
(2001/98 minutes/UK/Dir: Ken Fero & Tariq Mehmood/Migrant Media)

The struggles for justice by the families of people that have died in police custody.

In 1969 David Oluwale became the first black person to die in police custody in Britain. Many others have died since then. None of the police officers involved have been convicted of these deaths. In this documentary, the families of these victims ask "Why not?"

This is a blow by blow account of the relentless struggles of the families as they find out how they lost their loved ones in extremely violent deaths at the hands of police officers.
Each family is met with a wall of official secrecy and the film documents how they unite and challenge this together. The documentary uses powerful exclusive footage filmed over a five year period and witnesses the families pain and anger at the killings. It documents the fight to retrieve the bodies for burial, the mockery of police self-investigation and the collusion of the legal system in the deaths. The film asks why an accused killer in a police uniform is not judged by the same standards as the rest of society.

I N J U S T I C E documents the horrific loss of life at the hands of the state and it's attempts to cover up these killings. The British police have been responsible for hundreds of deaths and have walked free.The families of the dead want justice and they will not stop until they have got it.

Winner Best Documentary - BFM London Film Festival 2002, Winner National Social Justice Award 2003, Winner Best Documentary (Human Rights) - One World Film Festival 2003, Winner New Nation Campaign group of the Year 2004.

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Articles re: deaths in custody:

Deaths in custody: Huge rise in London: http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/06/deaths-in-custody-huge-rise-in-london.html

Open letter from UFFC to the Prime Minister re: deaths in state custody:  http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/10/open-letter-from-uffc-to-prime-minister.html

Christopher Alder: outrage as injustice continues even in death:  http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/11/christopher-alder-outrage-as-injustice.html

 

Christopher Alder: Justice remains little more than an ideal for some - by Richard Sudan: http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/11/christopher-alder-justice-remains.html 

 

Demetre Fraser: Outrage at new death in police custody: http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/06/demetre-fraser-outrage-at-new-death-in.html 

 

Rev Jesse Jackson supports call for public inquiry into deaths in custody UK - videos:  http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/12/rev-jesse-jackson-calls-for-public.html

Rev Jessie Jackson calling for total reform on handling of deaths in custody: http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/12/rev-jessie-jackson-calling-for-total.html

Deaths in Police Custody: Stereotyping the victim - article from the Institute of Race Relations: http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/09/deaths-in-police-custody-stereotyping.html

Deaths in police custody cut deep in the psyche of black Britons:  http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/12/deaths-in-police-custody-cut-deep-in.html

United Friends and Family:

Annual Deaths in Custody March Attacked by Police.

 http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/10/united-friends-and-family-annual-deaths.html

 

MPA meeting - Regarding the policing of this years peaceful UFFC march: http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2011/11/mpa-meeting-regarding-policing-of-this.html



UFFC march 2011 (Photos by Dee Constantine-Simms)



Campaign 4 Justice 4 Kingsley Burrell:

www.facebook.com/Justice4Kingsley

 

Campaign 4 Justice 4 Demetre Fraser aka T.Dot:

www.facebook.com/Justice4Demetre

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