SCREENING & PRESS CONFERENCE
11.00am Friday 26th October 2012, Room W1, Off Westminster Hall, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA
The United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC) is a coalition of families and friends of those that have died in the custody of police and prison officers as well as those who died in psychiatric and immigration detention. We would like to invite you to a film screening & press conference in advance of our national demonstration that will take place the following day, details are below.
The screening of excerpts from the hard-hitting film 'Who Polices ThePolice?' (52minutes/2012), which critically assesses the performance of the Independent Police Complaints Commission into investigating custodial deaths, will be followed by statements and a Q&A session by the families of a number of death in custody cases including Sean Rigg, Mark Duggan, Mikey Powell, Olaseni Lewis, David Emmanuel (aka Smiley Culture) and Roger Sylvester.
The event will be an opportunity to find out the current position of families in relation to the existing investigative and judicial framework around custodial deaths. It is of crucial importance that those who have been directly impacted by custodial deaths have the opportunity to express their views in the political arena and we hope that you will join us in this event.
Notes to editors:
UFFC is run directly by families of those that have died in state custody. Since 1999 we have organised the Annual Remembrance Procession, this will be the 14th year. We march from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street where we present our demands to the Prime Minster.
This will take place on Saturday 27th October at 12.30.
Our Demands:
Replacement of the IPCC to ensure open robust transparent and thorough investigations from the very outset of police deaths in custody - with a removal of all ex-police officers for it to be a truly independent body.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman should be placed on a statutory footing.
Deaths in psychiatric detention and / or of those detained under the Mental Health Act, must be subject to a system of properly funded investigation that is completely independent of the Health Service.
Officers and officials directly involved in custody deaths are suspended until investigations are completed.
Immediate interviewing of officers and all officials concerned with the death.
Officers and officials should never be allowed to collude over their evidence and statements of fact.
Full and prompt disclosure of information to the families affected.
Prosecutions should automatically follow ‘unlawful killing’ verdicts at Inquests and officers responsible for those deaths should face criminal charges, even if retired.
National implementation of police body cameras and cameras in all police vehicles in the interests of both the officers and the public.
There should be an automatic right to non means tested legal aid for families. There is a lack of funds for family legal representation at Inquests whilst officers and NHS staff get full legal representation from the public purse – this is unbalanced.
Email: contactuffc@gmail.com
Telephone: 07770 432 439
UFFC Press Conference FRI 26th Oct 2012 - 11 am - House of Commons
UFFC Annual March SAT 27th Oct 2012 - 12 noon - Trafalgar Square
We campaign on behalf of, and with, those wrongfully convicted. We're campaigning to reform legal abuse by Joint Enterprise.
