The World Society for the Protection of Animals has taken the opportunity of the London Mayoral elections to campaign publicly for the budget of the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit to be restored to previous levels. The society claims three out of four of the candidates have committed to the cause, the exception being Boris Johnson.
It is no surprise that Ken Livingston was an early committer to the cause – his support for wildlife is well known, stemming from his lifelong interest in amphibians. Similarly, the Green Party's Jenny Jones would have little claim to be standing for that party if she were not committed to stamping out such abominations as the illegal trade in rhino horn and big cat fur.
The third to join the party, so to speak, was the Liberal Democrat candidate, former Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick. His 'video pledge' can be seen on YouTube.
The WSPA's website carries the opportunity to sign an open letter to the winning candidate urging action.
The letter reads in part: "We are calling on you to ensure that funding for the Metropolitan Police Service's Wildlife Crime Unit is restored to, at a minimum, the levels seen in 2003 when the Unit was established. We want you to commit to properly resourcing the Unit so it is able to function effectively."
The WSPA recently donated £100,000 to the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit to help fund its work. OK, it was a stunt, but it made the point.
Wildlife crime can also include the persecution of animal species here in the UK, be it badger baiting or the taking of birds' eggs. We are fortunate in that respect to have such bodies as the RSPCA and the RSPB who will pursue and prosecute perpetrators, acting as expert witness in subsequent court cases if necessary. North of the border, the Scottish Government maintains its own agricultural laboratory, SASA, part of whose job is to act as a forensic science and expert witness service in cases of wildlife crime.
"The bill is a sad and tatty chapter in the story of post war access to justice. The onslaught on our precious legal aid system is an act of vandalism for which this Tory-led government will be forever remembered."
That was the valedictory statement by shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan MP as the LASPO Bill finally exited the Lords for the last time on its way to Royal Assent. As befits a piece of legislation so controversial – not to say despised and hated – the passage of LASPO through the Lords saw the Government suffer a record 14 defeats, although it churlishly only gave way on the issue of mesothelioma claims.
Fresh from his Pyrrhic victory with the bill, Mr Clarke can't wait to get going on whiplash. It emerged today (30 April) that he and his oppo at Transport, Justine Greening, will make an announcement on 'curbing' claims on 2 May. Whether that means they will be announcing a miracle cure for the condition was not made clear, but it's probably safe to assume what they mean is that people will no longer be able to get compensation from someone who runs into the back of them – or, more properly, their insurer.
They are also expected to announce an accreditation system for doctors who can assess claims. So, having put the lawyers and the expert witnesses to the financial sword, the Government is after the GPs: those very same people who we are assured can safely administer the entire NHS budget are apparently not to be trusted to diagnose that most insidious of post-accident conditions.
Chris Stokes