Action plan needed to help speed up justice for older people, report says

Police and prosecutors should work together to implement an action plan to improve the ability of older victims of crime to give evidence and enable their cases to move more quickly through the criminal justice system, a new report has suggested.

Jacqui Durkin, the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, said this could involve considering greater use of video recorded interviews as evidence for cases involving vulnerable older people.

Her latest report has highlighted the challenges and barriers faced by older people seeking justice outcomes in Northern Ireland.

She said the barriers some older people faced could be wide-ranging and relate to their family situation, physical mobility issues, conditions that may affect thinking and reasoning abilities such as dementia, or life circumstances such as isolation or housing issues.

She said: “This inspection identified the need for criminal justice organisations to respond to a vulnerable older person’s individual needs and circumstances, rather than making assumptions about individuals based on their age or perceived capacity to participate in the criminal justice system.

“We know that Northern Ireland is a relatively safe place to live where older people are less likely to be victims of crime compared to other age groups, but we are an ageing community where 23% of the population are aged 60 or above, in the middle of an economic crisis with increasing reports of criminal offences and significant delays in our criminal justice system.

“Vulnerable older people who are the victim of or witness to a crime need to be appropriately supported to give their best evidence and participate in a prosecution that is progressed with a sense of urgency.

“Criminal justice organisations need to consider how they can reduce delay in the progression of cases involving vulnerable older people, so they are not prevented from giving their best evidence at later time during the case or at court.”

Inspectors have recommended that within the next 12 months, the PSNI should work with colleagues in the Public Prosecution Service to develop and implement an action plan to improve the ability of vulnerable older victims of crime to give their best evidence and enable their cases to move through the criminal justice system faster, speeding them up where appropriate.

The report said this could involve considering greater use of video recorded interviews as evidence for cases involving vulnerable older people, where a person’s age or condition such as dementia may prevent them from giving their best evidence at later time during the case or at court.

Ms Durkin said the report recognised positive work being undertaken by the police alongside partner organisations on crime prevention and personal safety as well as innovations that recognised the impact of cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.