Not issuing photos of runaway killers ‘is just nonsense’
Pictures of two murderers on the run from jail
were released last night after the Lord Chancellor criticised a police force for
suggesting that the Human Rights Act prevented their publication.
One of the two handsome escapees
Uncle Dave at Dvorak Uncensored posted the beginning of this fiasco, yesterday — here. The reaction of officials with more brains than the Derbyshire police followed.
Pictures of two murderers on the run from jail were released last night after the Lord Chancellor criticised a police force for suggesting that the Human Rights Act prevented their publication.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton, QC, dismissed the suggestions by Derbyshire police as “absolute nonsense” and demanded an explanation of their refusal to release the pictures.
“When you are dealing with two convicted murderers, both of whom have absconded, it is utterly obvious that there is no public interest arising out of the Human Rights Act which prevents publication,” Lord Falconer said.
The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) also said yesterday that the photos should be published if the men were considered a danger to the public. It said that the Human Rights Act explicitly allowed police to print “wanted” pictures if it was in the public interest.
Fortunately, public welfare, public access to information, seems to override privacy for criminals. This time.
Thanks, Joshua.
Posted: Sat - January 6, 2007 at 06:37 AM