IN 2009 LOSSES from retail theft and fraud exceeded £4bn – or £68 per person in the UK!
A substantial proportion of the theft and fraud is done by staff, but the process of bringing a criminal prosecution is time consuming – and hence expensive – for the retailer, so there is a tendency for the employer to simply dismiss the employee and turn their back on the problem.
A FORENSIC odontologist is a dentist who specialises in interpreting dental evidence for the courts. The British Association for Forensic Odontology is the professional association of these experts, and maintains a list of active odontologists.
Most of the work done by these experts involves the identification of human remains. In many cases the dental examination can give an indication of the age of the person at the time of death, which can help to reduce the number of missing persons being considered. Then dental records of the missing persons are compared with the dental condition of the body and an identification may be confirmed. The odontologist will prepare a written report for the Coroner, but is rarely called to support it in person.
ARBITRATION has been developed in England and Wales specifically for use in settling commercial disputes. The process of the arbitration is governed by the Arbitration Act 1996, which lays claim to being legislation drafted for a commercial application and which tries to avoid unnecessary legal terminology.
Its first clause clearly sets out its intention: “The object of arbitration is to obtain the fair resolution of disputes without unnecessary delay or expense.” It can be used in connection with any dispute where there exists a written agreement to take any matters not resolved to arbitration.
OF THE 15,000 practising veterinary surgeons in the UK, fewer than 150 work exclusively with dairy cattle and of those, fewer than a handful carry out regular expert witness work.
I am one of those 150 dairy practitioners and in the past year my expert witness workload has included personal injury cases, professional negligence claims against other veterinary surgeons, preliminary reports to decide whether litigation is appropriate or advisable, civil cases relating to poor installation of milking parlours and use of defective products leading to damage to stock, and one criminal case. Expert witness work certainly allows for a balanced workload.
THE horticultural industry is very diverse in that it includes the commercial production of fruit and vegetables crops, cut flowers and ornamental plants such as bedding and house plants. It embraces all aspects of landscaping for private gardens, public parks and commercial developments such as industrial estates. It offers careers in many disciplines, from garden centre retailing to greenkeeping on golf courses.
It has developed into a very important industry as it has captured the imagination of some 20 million gardeners in the UK. Garden centres often provide a ‘day out’ for a wide audience and there are many gardens to visit courtesy of the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society.
