Secure State For Young Offenders Reviewed

A public consultation on the future shape of the youth secure estate was launched today by the Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board. A fall in both youth crime and the number of young people in custody has been reported meaning the secure estate has been going through a period of change. The consultation asks for people's views on a proposed strategy for the organisation of the under-18 secure estate for the years 2011/12 to 2014/15 including: Principles and priorities governing the secure estate; Developing enhanced units to better meet the particular needs of young people; Reorganising the estate in response to decreasing demand; The regime for young people in custody: and the longer-term future of the secure estate. The consultation forms part of the Government's aim to ensure better outcomes for young people and the community.

Appeal Following Fatal Collision In Dagenham

Police are appealing for witnesses and information following a fatal collision between a motorcycle and a car in Dagenham. Officers were called at 17.30pm on Thursday 14 July to reports of a black Triumph Sprint motorcycle in collision with a black Peugeot 206 in Goresbrook Road, near the junction with Starmans Close in Dagenham. The passenger in the car, a 23-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as Peter Tickner of Starmans Close, Dagenham. A post mortem examination took place in Walthamstow on Friday gave cause of death as multiple injuries. The driver of the car, a man aged in his early 20s, was taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a stable condition. The rider of the motorbike, a 16-year-old boy, was also taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a stable condition. Officers from the Road Death Investigation Unit based at Catford Traffic Garage are investigating. The motorcycle had been stolen from Dagenham Road earlier in the day. Police are appealing for anyone who saw it in the area to come forward as soon as possible. There have been no arrests at this stage.

BMA Comment On Extension Of Patient Choice



Commenting on Department of Health guidance published today on the extension of choice in the NHS in England, Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the British Medical Association (BMA) said: 

“We support greater choice for patients, although in an NHS with finite resources it will always be limited. What we would question is the assumption that increasing competition necessarily means improved choice. When competition results in market failure in the NHS, the ultimate consequence is the closure of services, and the restriction of choice for the patients who would have wished to use them.”

(BMcN/GK)