A LibDem Perspective - Justice and The Pet Abduction Act 2024
I may of course be imagining it, but my two Westies appear to have a new swagger about them this week. The Pet Abduction Act 2024 has come into force, defining dogs (and cats!) as ‘sentient beings’ rather then mere ‘chattels’. Anyone stealing a cat, dog, or other pet animal can now be fined and jailed for up to five years. Six dogs a day are stolen, leaving distraught families often feeling truly bereaved as dogs are part of the family, and often the sole companion for those living alone. It is high time that the punishment more effectively fit this cruel crime.
There are though far deeper problems inherited by the new government across the whole justice system. The response to the recent riots has highlighted the shortage of prison places. While the speed with which justice is being meted out to these racist thugs is wholly appropriate, and appears to have deterred further trouble, it is in stark contrast to the glacially slow progress in many other areas. Since 2010 there has been a 5% reduction in prison officers while prisoner numbers have continued to increase. Prisoners are spending up to 23 hours a day in their cells, while overcrowding and drug use drive up recidivism rates. Since 2010 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has seen a 33% reduction in staff, adding to delays in bringing cases to court. Since 2015 rape cases reported to the police have increased by 130% but conviction rates remain below 2% and the delays, low conviction rates and trauma result in 70% of rape survivors dropping their cases before coming to court.
Sentencing guidelines need an urgent and thorough review. Just a couple of days apart in July, five ‘Just Stop Oil’ protestors were jailed for four and five years for their non-violent protests against North Sea oil and gas exploration which brought the M25 to a standstill. By contrast an uninsured hit and run driver responsible for the death of a seven year old boy in Folkestone was given a 14 week sentence suspended for 12 months. I do not condone the methods employed by the protestors but the disparity in their treatment is wholly unreasonable, and surely a much shorter incarceration coupled with community work would seem more appropriate. Ironically one of the new government’s first actions was to announce plans to ban new oil and gas exploration, as the protestors had demanded.
The recent racist riots undoubtedly represented a low point for our nation but we should take heart from the enormous public reaction that ‘claimed back our streets’. In that vein I’d like to close by congratulating all those community-minded volunteers who put so much effort into producing a host of bank holiday events such as Battle’s inaugural ‘Folk and Fable Festival’. The weather did its worst, but failed to dampen spirits. Well done to all involved!
Cllr Kathryn Field