Editorial
| Pages | 169-173 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-12-2018-049 |
| Date | 10 December 2018 |
| Published date | 10 December 2018 |
| Author | Bridget Penhale |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection,Safeguarding,Sociology,Sociology of the family,Abuse |
Bridget Penhale
Welcome to this final issue of 2018. As in many of our journal editorials, initially we present a
number of news items relating to safeguarding that have appeared in the past few months,
which readers may fin d interesting. So, be fore introducing the main contents of this issue,
please see below for a selection of such items that have appeared across the news media in
recent months.
During June, we learned of the prosecution of Harjit Bariana for six modern slavery offences.
He forced people to w ork long hours in poor conditions. Peop le were accommodat ed and
supplied with drugs, alcohol and leftover food from Barjana’s takeaways[1]. His business
model hinged on the fr ee labour of vulnerable people. A ma n with mild learning disabilitie s who
was kept as a slave for over 25 years was convicted of burglary with intent to steal, having been
forced to commit the crime by the Rooney family of Lincoln[2]. When he applied for
compensation he di scovered that he had received a fin e for his crime. His benefits were du e to
be docked irrespective of the statutory defense as a result of having been a slavery victim.
However, his conviction was quashed.
The Windrush scandal, which hit UK headlines earlier this year refuses to peter out. The Home
Office’s introduction some years ago of a “hostile environment,”under then Home Officer
Minister Theresa May, in hand with the removal of legal aid, has resulted in members of the
Windrush generation and their children losing their work and homes, being denied NHS
treatment and unable to travel. Re-badging the Home Office’s approach to “compliant
environment”without any modification of policy and practice is unlikely to address the ongoing
legacies of the hostile environment, which include people being wrongfully detained and being
dispatched “home[3]”.
The beginning of July witnessed the NHS’70th birthday[4]. There is much to celebrate even
though it struggles to manage with its pay freezes, high vacancy rates and see-saw funding. This
year has also seen the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, although there
may be some questions raised by current events in Yemen and Rohingya, which suggest that full
realisation of rights is still a long way off for many citizens.
The reckoning is st ill at the beginning in sport. Duri ng May, Bob Higgins was on trial for a lleged
sexual assaults on young football players. The ass aults took place on football trainin g camps,
at the marital home, in his car and on ferries to cup competitions. Savouring his status as a
trusted family fr iend, the boys woul d do anything not to je opardise their pot ential careers in
professional football[5]. Abuse of aspiring young footballers remains in the headlines with the
former boys’football coach and N ewcastle United co aching assistant b eing found guilty of
sexually abusing 1 8 victims over a 24-yea r period[6]. George O rmond’s victims wer e
intimidated by th e power he possesse d relating to their p rospects of becomi ng professional
footballers. Northumbria Police described him as a “predatory paedophile […] a classic
groomer”. Fast forward to November and Jim Torbett, Founder of the Celtic Boys Club, has
been found guilty o f abusing boys[7].
Lincolnshire police have got it in the neck for not reporting crimes –nearly 10,000 crimes
including instances of violence, sexual offences and domestic abuse[8]. As Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services noted, “If a force does not correctly
record a crime, it cannot properly understand the demand on it services, nor provide support to
those who need it most”.
DOI 10.1108/JAP-12-2018-049 VOL. 20 NO. 5/6 2018, pp. 169-173, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
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THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
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Editorial
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