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Met to target 'honour' crime with specialist training for all officers
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor28 Jul 2009
Every police officer in London is to be given training on how to detect "honour"-based violence.
A key part of the drive to reduce the number of victims and bring more offenders to justice will be a DVD.
It will contain information on how apparently insignificant incidents can trigger so-called honour violence against women.
Each Met officer will also be briefed on obtaining expert advice to pursue cases and receive guidance on protecting potential victims while efforts are made to stop their persecution.
Senior detectives will be given more intensive training in the form of a two-day course in which information from survivors, women's groups and charities will be used to highlight the problem.
In a further move to boost convictions, the number of specialist honour violence prosecutors in London is being increased as part of a national effort to double the number of Crown Prosecution Service lawyers with expertise in this area.
The plans, which will be formally unveiled at a London conference on honour violence organised by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers, are intended to help build on recent successes in combating the problem.
Earlier this month, a married Muslim woman was warned by Scotland Yard that she was at risk after her 24-year-old lover had acid poured down his throat and was stabbed by four attackers.
The man, who is a Dane of Asian origin, is not expected to live after suffering 90 per cent burns from the acid, which destroyed his tongue and blinded him. The case has revived concerns about honour violence. Today the Crown Prosecution Service's legal director Nazir Afzal, who has been leading efforts to prevent such attacks, gave details of the new crackdown.
"Every police officer is going to be trained on honour-based violence over the next 12 months to help them identify the signs, which can often be difficult to spot unless the person is aware of the issue," he said. "For instance, if someone has received a bunch of flowers and says that their family wants to kill them for that, it might seem fairly petty in other circumstances, but in an honour case it is serious and needs to be treated that way.
"Too many officers don't know enough about what they are dealing with in this area because there are subtleties to this kind of behaviour that people might not easily understand. We need to make sure that when a victim first makes contact these signs are recognised."
Mr Afzal added that although police and prosecutors have had increasing success in the past few years, with several convictions, the scale of the problem was still emerging as the number of cases identified continued to rise.
In the first half of this year, for example, he said that the Government's Forced Marriage Unit - which deals with honour violence as well because of its frequent links to forced marriage - had received 2,000 calls, the largest six-monthly total so far.
More than 60 forced marriage protection orders - a form of injunction to restrain those seeking to persecute victims - had been issued in the eight months since the power had come into force. Detective Sergeant Sharon Stratton, who heads the Met's forced marriage and honour violence unit, said efforts to improve training had been undertaken by the force, but further measures were being planned. "We have done a lot of work on this, but we are always looking to improve," she added.
Reader views (31)
All the training in the world won't result in prosecutions, and the way the Sharia law movement is being allowed to grow in the UK, this training will be useless.
- Trunk, US, 29/07/2009 04:44
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Excellent comments from Dirk Diggler of Soho and Richard of Nottingham, and so many others in the same vein. This is *England*. Immigration must end now. The present labour McGovernment plainly only wants more immigrants in a last-ditch desperate effort to stay in "power" [sic]. We hold all politicians in contempt, but at least with the Conservatives you know what you are getting.
- Tinkerbelle, london, 28/07/2009 22:30
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Is there no end to the costly trouble these dreadful people cause us ? Have not our police enough to do controlling endless parades and demonstrations by groups who do not wish to express their views in their own third World countries ? Our police should be first and foremost protecting the British from crime, often by the non British criminals. and we have to pay for it all.
- Michael, Kensington, UK, 28/07/2009 22:21
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First thing this police farce should do is stopp using the word honour. There nothing honourable about killing you daughter or sister.
- Howard, Tooting, 28/07/2009 21:14
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Better that they be trained to enforce the law, the law of the UK, and that includes prosecuting the thieving MPs.
- Hugh, Middx, 28/07/2009 17:35
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Keith Lonsdale, Doncasater. I would love to know what you do for a living. Retired and bored I would guess!! Your comments never fail to exasperate me. I don't believe you have ever posted anything positive on any subject.
- Observer In Life, London, 28/07/2009 17:19
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Anil does makes a very good point. For centuries, the british imposed their culture on countries like India. You can say it was a long time ago, but, nevertheless, you could exercise more tolerance when people come here and exert pressure on you to accept their cultures
- Blancedview, Harrow, London, 28/07/2009 16:51
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Nolan, London: I'm afraid that branding anyone who does not agree with your left-liberal dogma as "xenophobic" or "intolerant" doesn't wash any more. Neither does sweeping accusations of homophobia or racism against all who do not believe that these groups should be given special rights and priveleges. No, the majority of us have grown rather weary of the running scared from a bit of name-calling, and are interested only in substantive argument; not your forte by all accounts.
There is a problem with binge drinking and general chavness in this country, but it is a significant minority who engage in it.
Most people in this country behave themselves properly, are tolerant and respectful of others and are as equally disgusted by the antics of some of their fellow citizens.
They are not, however, blessed with unending tolerance or acceptance of those who abuse our hospitality and rail against the indigenous population, our history, laws and traditions.
I'm afraid that this is a concept that you'd be best getting used to; your brand of politics and politically-correct freedom-stifling is very close to being kicked into the long grass of political history, forever.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster, 28/07/2009 16:48
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The police may need training, so that they don't just dismiss a person seeking help as mentally ill or hysterical. And knowing more about an alien culture may help them obtain the information they need to arrest the perpetrators, from more enlightened members of the same community.
But it is crime, and of a particularly evil sort at that. The only way to stamp it out is to give perpetrators "exemplary" sentences, to make it perfectly clear that the law of the land applies to all who live here. There should be absolutely no chance of a soft sentence because it's "cultural". Cannibalism and slavery were also once "cultural", does that make them right?
- Nigel, London, 28/07/2009 16:03
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What exactly are they being trained on? Investigating assaults and murders? Put the effort into beefing up sentencing for the animals who commit such crimes. Someone who pours acid down another person's throat needs to be put in a cage till the day he dies, yet I expect we'll soon be reading about a 12 or 16 year "tariff".
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent, 28/07/2009 15:15
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How about every immigrant that enters the country attends classes on British cultrue and tradition before they are allowed to access to any public welfare or support and also when they apply for citizenship? These courses should be a minimum or 12 weeks with a passing grade and exam required. It is not the British that needs to change to accomadate immigrants, immigrants must change to live in Britain, full stop! Why can't we have a government like Australia has; that enforces laws like this and other that protect its identity, culture and citizens from mass immigration?
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London, 28/07/2009 15:11
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Anil, glos...
Perhaps you're all for going backwards as far as culture and life style are concerned..? If that's the way you feel we wouldn't want to force you to stay in a horrible forward looking, modern thinking place like England.
- Mark H, London England, 28/07/2009 15:10
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Honour crimes are just nasty violent people who can't get their own way and disrespect our laws. It's a family law so execute the perpetrator and deport the immediate family. That will stop it!
- Mike, London, 28/07/2009 14:51
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Well you could all vote for the only party that will solve these imported problems,they will solve a multitude of problems brought into our former civilised society by the rabid pursuit of multiculturalism that has been forced on the British peoples.
- Kev, London-UK, 28/07/2009 14:46
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I find it appalling that not one of the comments refers to the horrific nature of this attack. The man is said to have had sulphuric acid down his throat & not 1 condemns this.
- Terry Godman, London England, 28/07/2009 14:36
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"...should be forced to attend, at their own expense, courses in the British law and the British way of life."
What would that include? Xenophobia and intolerance with a bit of binge drinking, teenage pregnancy and how to make beans on toast?
Many of the comments are treating honour killing like it is an alien concept to Britain. The papers are regularly full of stories about men who beat or kill their partner (even their own kids as well) because "if I can't have her then no-one can". That's honour killing by any other name.
- Nolan, Londonist, 28/07/2009 14:21
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Stop with the fancy titles, honour plays no part in it. Normally an excuse to bully, torture, mame or kill. All of which are already illegal. Do your job rozzers and stop the excuses for a party
- Gerry, Kernow, 28/07/2009 14:09
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We have specialist officers working to search out peadophiles (predominantly a white male crime in the uk) but fortunately the police work on searching for the criminal not profiling), then if we have police trained to track crime which is likely to come from an eastern culture (it happens in Hindu - hidden largely because the media doesnt get as much attention as its not under scrunity and is a group in huge denial about the crimes in their names, Eastern christinanity, and muslims) we should be happy because they looking for the crime and the criminal.
The usual commentators feedback on here are disappointing and shows the level of hatred in some readers.
The usual
- Alan Rex, London, England, 28/07/2009 14:01
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Anil, If you don't like us, or our culture, you are free to leave.
I am not aware of any British expats engaged in the butchery of relatives because they don't approve of their choice of partner.
Your argument about British colonialism is also a little late. Britain relinquished all of those colonies wanting independence (and at least one that didn't, Hong Kong) decades ago. It is no use whining about our culture and way of life being imposed upon your own country, and then following us and it here when we have left!
As for the behaviour of binge drinking Brits abroad; I agree, it is disgarceful, just as it is here. That is the product of years af left-liberal apologist government and the removal of personal responsibility.
It is also a well documented fact that those that do offend local laws and customs are very severly dealt with. Most of the rest of the world will not accept being taken for a bunch of mugs in the way that we are.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster, 28/07/2009 14:00
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How can killing a fellow muslim, be honourable to any True Muslim?
- Mickinlondon, london., 28/07/2009 13:41
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Anil, it is very simple leave the country you hate so much and stop sponging off our society.
- Richard, Nottingham, 28/07/2009 13:31
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Surely there are better things the Police could be doing? Haven't we spent years complaining that policemen don't spend enough time on the streets? So why take them off the beat for another training course that deals with a tiny minority crime? It doesn't matter why people attack each other it's still the same crime.
- Mark, London, 28/07/2009 12:49
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"....should be forced to attend, at their own expense, courses in the British law and the British way of life.
If they refuse they should be deported to a country that accommodates and supports their cultural traditions...."
Yes, just like the British did when they invaded our countries and forced their culture on us. Just as they do now with their excessive drinking, colonial politics and total disregard to local customs and ways of life. Where should they be sent to? Back to Blighty?
- Anil, glos, 28/07/2009 12:41
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As an Asian living in England, I am offended at the thought of police having special training in honour crimes. What a waste of resources. Let us concentrate on cleaning up our streets of knife crime, rape, muggings and drugs, and then, if we can spare the time, afford ourselves the luxury of spending money on this crime, which only affects the smallest numbers in our community. And,just for the record, this is not a hindu crime!!
- Maya, London, 28/07/2009 12:36
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Instead of Police being trained to deal with imported culture, those involved in this kind of activity should be forced to attend, at their own expense, courses in the British law and the British way of life.
If they refuse they should be deported to a country that accommodates and supports their cultural traditions.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster, 28/07/2009 11:47
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Hold on, why do they need special training to deal with it? It's a crime, it's illegal, deal with it.
- Bob, Cheam, 28/07/2009 11:33
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Honour violence! how bizarre.
- Kev, London-UK, 28/07/2009 11:26
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I am so fed with the muslims in this country, they cause the most trouble and are supposed to represent just 4% of the population. Everywhere I turn they are demanding what they want all the time and I am sick of the cow towing that goes on for a ethnic/religious group that has imported so many barbaric practices like honour killings, forced marriages and religious brain washing schools. Notice I have not even mentioned the abuse of our freedom of speech as with the demos against our troops or the fact that it is nutters form the muslim community that commit terrorist atrocities. Lets face it if any other group treated women the same way muslims do they would be villified and hounded by the media. Yet this rather backward religion is afforded much more respect than our own religion. This is wrong, wrong, wrong.
- Richard, Nottingham, 28/07/2009 11:26
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More a**e covering which is perfectly understandable these days. That said, yet another level is added to the crime screening process which seems to depend on the ubiquitous factors of race, religion, sexuality, gender and disability. If justice were truly blind and balanced then maybe the need for all of this would go away. The point made by Patrick is also valid although likely to be seized upon the multi-culti zealots.
- Ranter, Maidstone, UK, 28/07/2009 11:25
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Nazir Afzal says that "Every police officer is going to be trained on honour-based violence over the next 12 months ..." Is this not an absurd misuse of public resources? Whilst I agree that the Police need more training generally, honour-based violence accounts for only a tiny fraction of all violent crime. Lets put more Police on the streets, in communities, patrolling estates, in stations and on public transport. After 7/7 there was a huge increase in Police visibility and suddenly they disappeared! Let the Police have more training in preventing knife and gun crime and in making our streets safer and lets see Mr Afzal put more CPS resources into successfully prosecuting gang violence, mugging & rape that all too often blight the streets of London more than Honour crimes.
- J. Smith, Brentwood, 28/07/2009 11:25
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EDITED by admin @ 11.33 on July 27 2009
Religious/Racial
- Patrick, Southampton, 28/07/2009 11:03
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