Our justice system is not fit for purpose

IT is a sad state of affairs when women and young girls cannot trust the police, or even the justice system, to protect them in their daily lives.

Now people in Scotland who are approached by a lone policeman will be given the chance to verify that the officer is on official business, as he must contact his control room.

This is a good start, so why isn’t the rest of Britain doing the same?

But with an off-duty policeman intent on attacking women and girls, they won’t be wearing their phones and the victims won’t be given a chance to question him or manage to get away to safety.

We keep on being told by the police that crimes like this and many others committed are rare, when sadly they are not.

Since Sarah Everard was murdered, there has been over 70 other women and girls murdered. We need more police on the beat in cities, towns, villages and seen in the countryside, also police stations need to be brought back, with a police house in villages as there used to be many years ago.

Unfortunately, the time has come when all women and young girls need to wear a small hidden alarm on their person, which will go off automatically, by the fear felt from the victim. The sudden, very loud, continuous noise should frighten the attacker off, knowing other people hearing the noise would soon be on the scene.

In this modern day and age, I am sure a personal alarm like this could be made and provided free.

Priti Patel must make sure action is taken and not, as in the past, just words and promises which never happen.

Our justice system is a disgrace and not fit for purpose; it hasn’t been for years. Victims and their families must take priority over criminals. People who commit crime must get proper sentences and in cases of murder, rape and kidnap should lose their “human rights” – and ‘Life’ must mean a life sentence, because that is what

the victims’ families get. Prison should not be a soft option and only the basic necessities should be provided, with no luxuries like TV etc. “Boot Camp” could be a good idea. I agree with Edward Kynaston “Time the punishment fitted the crime” and with Robert Readman. If potential criminals knew that they would get the death sentence, or be castrated, it may sound barbaric but when these horrendous crimes are committed, including knife and shooting crimes, they deserve to be treated this way and that should bring down the crime wave in Britain.

Helen Capel North Somerset