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Street weapons debate didn't go far enough - campaigner

Mark Hesford
11/ 7/2008

NEW Moston campaigner Lesley Pulman has spent years speaking up for victims and witnesses of crime.

And last week she took her cause to television as part of Channel 4's 'Street Weapons Commission' series of programs.

The station launched the commission to tour the country and speak to people with an insight into the impact of gun and knife crime.

Lesley took part in the Manchester hearing, as well as Sunday evening's live studio debate, but feels the conclusion's reached by the commission's 'panel of experts' will not make a significant difference to the country's situation.

"The panel should have been made up of people in communities that are being affected" she said. "During the debate, all they talked about was support for offenders, no one wanted to talk about punishment.

"There needs to be punitive measures, but you're made to feel abnormal when you talk about punishment and responsibility for offenders. It's this kind of attitude that stops witnesses from coming forward.

"I told them I have no confidence in anything this commission comes up with. It'll just turn into another file, or another law when all we need is for the police to be able to implement the laws we've got."

Lesley, who has helped assist many witnesses in the past, believes that for justice to prevail, the support for victims and witnesses should be at least equal to that given to offenders.

"The police plead for witnesses after a crime has been committed, but by then it's too late" she said. "If witnesses were confident that they'd be looked after in a way that addresses their needs, they would come forward earlier, but there's no trust in the system to make people feel comfortable to do that.

"There needs to be funding and services to help people develop that trust.

"I'd like to see a 24/7 service for witnesses to support them before, during and after going to court.

"They need help developing coping skills to keep safe and gather evidence against the perpetrator."

In 2003, with support from the council, Lesley became one of the first people in the city to win an ASBO order against local yobs who terrorised her neighbourhood with noise and vandalism.

She said: "ASBOs can seriously disrupt gang members and help to take the fear out of communities."