Downing Street Says » 2005 » February

» Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Householder Defence

Asked if the Prime Minister would admit he was wrong when he said the law should be changed regarding the home defending issue, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had said the law should be reviewed. What was important, as the DPP had said this morning, was to keep a sense of perspective about how many people had been prosecuted; the figures were 11 people in the last 15 years. What the law allowed people to do was to respond instinctively to a situation. What it did not allow was people who acted maliciously or with intent, but there was a very clear distinction. Ken McDonald made it clear this morning when he said that the law was on the side on householders, and prosecutions of householders who had attacked burglars were extremely rare. Unless there had been wholly excessive force against an intruder, the CPS had declined to prosecute those who had seriously injured or even killed a burglar. This was also backed up by Chris Fox, the President of ACPO.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Householder Defence

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Ian Blair

Asked if Ian Blair agreed with the Prime Minister over the "grossly disproportionate" wording regarding the home defence law, the PMOS replied that he thought the journalist was oversimplifying both the Prime Minister's and Ian Blair's words. Ian Blair had now seen the guidelines, and believed they were welcome and correct, and was supportive of them.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Ian Blair

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Taoiseach

Asked about the meeting with Taoiseach, the PMOS informed journalists that the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland and his opposite number in the Garda would give the two Prime Ministers an update into the investigation of the robbery and overall security situation. They would also update on the separate meetings they've had with Sinn Fein and the other parties.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Taoiseach

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

School discipline

Asked what was being done to stop text messaging in classrooms, the PMOS said that unless someone could text him the answer immediately, he could not answer, as he did not have that amount of detail! He suggested people spoke to the DFES for further information. He added that the important message was that we sent a clear message on all elements of discipline, and we strongly supported the teachers in the classrooms.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

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