Learn lessons from British justice review after attack

THE London Bridge terrorist attack should not be a bridge too far. It has generated an investigation into the British justice system, especially that involving sentencing and parole.

While we commiserate with the victims and their families here, we also share the implications of a justice system that is perceived as inadequate and fails to meet community expectations.

How often have we seen or read of a criminal walking from the courts with an inadequate sentence, a good behaviour bond or released on parole only to reoffend? Many would say too often. Where is the justice in that? What makes this even more tragic is when violence or the potential threat of it is involved. How many times has someone on an AVO been given the opportunity to carry out a violent attack? It should not even be a question we have to ask.

The bridge that connects Britain and us is the justice system. What has eroded it, I suggest, is a misplaced focus on human rights. There seems to be more empathy for the perpetrator of a crime than the victim. The outcome of that has the potential to create more victims. Unless the system finds the right balance, justice is not served.

Victims have rights too, and so does the community in its right to be protected from criminal activity.

We should watch carefully what transpires from the investigation in Britain and learn from what they discover. For there, but for a bridge not too far, walk we. BOB JANSSEN, GOLD COAST