Yes, I too can think of extreme examples but that is stretching things a
little. In that case, I believe it would be the police informing the man that his
actions were unacceptable. Chainsaw man would be having his chainsaw licence
withdrawn, would (at the very least) be "helping with enquiries" for a few
hours and would definitely be informed by the council (in the name of the Chief
Exec) that he would be regarded by the council as a threat to staff. Visits
to his home (if necessary) would be undertaken with a police escort (yes, it
does happen in these extreme cases) and that the council would be seeking an
injunction to keep him away from the offices.
Assuming of course that the allegations were true.
Tim says: "Violent people may become more violent if they are informed that
they are on a violent warning list. That's a fact."
It's also a "fact" that they "may not" become more violent. In fact, it's a
"fact" that some "may" moderate their behaviour. Things that may happen are
never fact - they are conjecture.
Being on a list in many cases means you cannot talk to officers in private,
there will always be two officers present. It could mean you don't get the
house visits you need, you may not get a service you apply for.
Here's another case for you: A man's record read "females should not visit
alone". It was understood to mean he was a threat, either physical or sexual.
It turned out it just meant he felt uneasy in the presence of a woman on her
own and would not even talk to the social worker.
Principle 3 comes to mind. Your PVP list should contain enough information
for the purpose - a single asterisk or red dot on the cover of a manual file is
never enough.
Ian B
Ian Buckland
Keep I.T. Legal Ltd
(Reg: 3822335)
Please Note: The information given above does not replace or negate the need
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--------
In a message dated 01/09/05 11:18:48 GMT Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> Clearly, a violent warning list needs to be properly monitored, and
> automatic reviews are essential. A situation where a person stays on a list
> for six years without a review is totally unacceptable, even if they were a
> risk to staff. However, a situation where someone does not go on a list
> because nobody is brave enough to tell them so would be equally
> unacceptable. For every anecdote about an unfair warning, there are
> examples, however rare or exceptional, where a member of the public throws a
> chair at a member of staff they have never met before, discharges a firearm
> above a staff member's head, or makes threats to a staff member who is
> heavily pregnant. A colleague in another council told me a plausible story
> about a novice member of staff barely escaping an attack with a chainsaw.
> Who would be first in the queue to tell Chainsaw Man that he was now on the
> violent list? I wouldn't, and I wouldn't ask anyone else to do it.
>
> Violent people may become more violent if they are informed that they are on
> a violent warning list. That's a fact. Whether an organisation has a policy
> of telling no-one or assessing it on a case-by-case basis, to assume that
> everyone on a violent warning list will be informed is not a serious
> proposition.
>
> I think staff share the expectation that their human rights and rights to
> natural justice will be respected. In this situation, there is a balance of
> risk, and the risk to staff health and safety cannot be sidelined. I wonder
> whether your approach doesn't tip the balance in favour of the person on the
> list - the staff are human beings as well, and their employer is obliged to
> protect them. Being on a list does not automatically entail being denied
> services or treatment. Often, it might mean nothing more than an officer
> keeping their eyes open, or attending a meeting with a colleague.
>
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