Press Release

Reaction to new CPS guidelines to crimes against older people

Tuesday, July 15 2008

Responding to the publication by Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken MacDonald, QC of a new policy report which sets out how the Crown Prosecution Service will handle crime against older people, Mervyn Kohler, Special Adviser at Help the Aged says, "The Crown Prosecution Service is to be congratulated on its initiative in respect of older people.  
 
"As our society ages, and as more people who may be frail and vulnerable are expecting to live independently and possibly alone, we need to take more seriously the way we approach crimes against older people and, specifically, elder abuse.
 
"The evidence on elder abuse is scant, but suggests that much more is being perpetrated than reported.   Perhaps people need support to make a complaint;  perhaps they do not think they will be understood or taken seriously. We simply do not know enough. 

"This CPS initiative is a call to the criminal justice system to up its game and help us all to move forward on this issue.   It will provide us with the knowledge base we need to provide older people with the protection and security they need and deserve."