Kathryn Stone - Voice UK
Question: What is Voice
Kathryn Stone: We support people with learning difficulties who have been victims of crime. We provide support to people with learning difficulties and also to their parents, carers and the professionals who work with them.
Question: What is your relationship with intermediaries?
Kathryn Stone: Some years ago we were invited to be part of the intermediary scheme by helping to recruit and select registered intermediaries.
Intermediaries need to be able to establish credibility within the criminal justice system but also with the witness themselves. If you can’t establish a rapport with a witness then you really aren’t going to be a very successful intermediary at all.
Question:How do you feel the pilot schemes have gone?
Kathryn Stone: The intermediary scheme is very new and it represents a significant shift in the culture of the criminal justice system.
One of the things that we are trying very hard to do is to change hearts and minds of people, to show that intermediaries do not give people an advantage; they simply address some of the imbalances that exist within the criminal justice system.
People with communication needs and learning difficulties have long been dismissed as witnesses and been called unreliable, incompetent and even defective. This scheme gives them an opportunity to have their say.
Question: What lessons have you learnt from the pilots?
Kathryn Stone: Intermediaries need to be involved from the very earliest stage of the legal proceedings. We also need to really drive up the profile of intermediaries so that every police officer on the beat, every solicitor and every lawyer knows about the intermediary scheme and can really use this as a positive cause for good.
Question: What are your hopes for the future?
Kathryn Stone: We really hope the intermediary scheme will be used as a way of really changing the scene for people with learning difficulties.
It should enable them to have true equality when really bad things have happened to them. This is a really important step for vulnerable people, whatever their particular needs are.
Daniel Hardy: Equal Access to Justice project worker for Voice
Question: What does your job entail?
Daniel Hardy: I am the equal access to justice worker for Voice
Question: What are your hopes for the future?
Daniel Hardy: I really hope people will listen and learn from their mistakes so that they can work on doing what is right.
Simon Deacy: Superintendent with Gwent Police and national police project manager for 'No witness no justice'
Simon Deacy: I am the national police lead for an initiative called 'No witness, no justice'. The intermediary scheme is an important part of supporting witnesses, so that they have access to justice.
Question: What is missing from the intermediary scheme?
Simon Deacy: There are still barriers to accessing the intermediary scheme. We need to change the ways in which police officers identify vulnerable people to make sure those in need are able to receive support from intermediaries.
Question: Are police officers trained to deal with vulnerable witnesses?
Simon Deacy: Yes, special measures were introduced some time ago and officers have had awareness training of what special measures there are and who they can be applied to.
This training is being updated and reviewed to ensure that officers are acting in the most effective way possible.
We must ensure officers are promoting the rights of the most vulnerable people in society through the criminal justice system.
We need to be certain that every officer at every level understands the importance of special measures.
Question: Is more training necessary?
Simon Deacy: There is a huge amount being done to support victims and witnesses and there is a lot being done to improve the criminal justice system.
Nonetheless, I firmly believe we have a responsibility to say this is important, these people are important, the crimes that are committed against them are important and if we can’t look after the most vulnerable in society, then police officers are not the bastions of the great British criminal justice system that they think they are.
Without our continued commitment to improvement we would be letting people down badly. We cannot allow that to happen.
Question: Are you hopeful about the future?
Simon Deacy: I am a national project manager because I am extremely positive about change.
I'm realistic enough to know that there will be barriers put in our way and there will be doubters and who don’t want to do it.
ACPO and all of the agencies and partners that we work with are absolutely passionate about what we are doing.
We are passionate about the need to change and we believe with the energy, drive and determination that we have, there will be change.
Discuss this article via video now
