Zara Aleena was a woman with it all in front of her. Beautiful, intelligent and decent, she was on her way to becoming a brilliant lawyer. Until her life was snuffed out by one Jordan McSweeney, a brutal, violent man whose only claim to fame was his 28 previous convictions and 69 previous criminal offences. [1] What possible forces in society could have stopped this senseless killing? Let’s look at the possibilities:
The Police? Everyone’s been quick to blame them. But before we do, look at the climate they have been forced to operate in since 2010. Nationally, the UK has lost 23 500 Police Officers. London, where Aleena lived, has been particularly hard hit, losing 47% of its officers in that time. The excellent PCSO service, which was such an excellent source of community intelligence, has been virtually abolished. In such circumstances, isn’t there a higher chance that some glaring problems will be missed?
The Probation Service? Like a fighter reeling under blows, they have never really recoverd from their own share of post 2010 cuts. Plus the botched attempts to privatise the whole thing by a certain Minister called Chris “failing” Grayling. Once again a case of trying to spread your jam too thin, we think
The Public? Could anyone have seen McSweeney and alerted the authorities, or even intervened. Well no wonder no one goes out any more. All these cuts have not only made the streets unsafe, they have also become dirty and unkempt-hardly a place to attract the discerning citizen. Funny isn’t it, how tax cuts seem to actually reduce most people’s freedom? But that’s a trope for another day.
The Conservative Party and its supporters in the media? We’ll leave that for your homework
There’s no greater freedom than the right to walk the streets. And this is particularly true of women, In the UK, in India, Spain or any other country. The moral is simple. If we want to do something real, we are going to have to pay for it.
Dear readers: we couldn’t leave you without hope. Until the Government steps up to its responsibilities, private citizens can help The charity REFUGE investigates and assists in all cases of domestic and misogynistic violence. Can you whack up the ginger for even a small donation? It will help way beyond its financial value!
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-63956133
main page
tps://refuge.org.uk
donations line
ttps://refuge.org.uk/i-want-to-support-refuge/
#violence #domestic abuse #zara aleena #misogyny #conservative party #cuts
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