CPS Guidance: Intentional Police Shootings

Debate between Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb and Lord Hermer

Tuesday 29th October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hermer (Lab)]

I urge your Lordships to look at the comprehensive package of measures that the Home Secretary announced last week, which seek to take away the tension that may be thought to exist currently between, on the one hand, a lack of trust and confidence within some communities in policing but, on the other hand, a lack of confidence in those police officers in going about their daily duties. These packages of measures seek to show that there need be no tension between those two legitimate principles.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords, it is all very well to say that there should not be any tension but, in fact, of course there is. One of the problems we have is that firearms on British streets are very rare. That is why a shooting has such a huge shock value to a lot of us. As the Minister has said, certain communities feel that they bear the brunt of police shootings, violence and, quite often, persecution. Does the Minister agree that transparency is vital? It should not look as though the whole system is closing off against those communities.

[Lord Hermer (Lab)]

I entirely agree. We will see from the package of measures that many of them address the concerns that the noble Baroness has raised.