Shocked by the scale of the Horizon Post Office scandal

WELL done Mr Bates, I salute you and those who have supported you in your tireless pursuit of justice spanning over 20 years.

I, like many others who are reading this column, watched the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, and like many others, I too was shocked at the sheer scale of injustice, the resulting loss of lives and the destruction of many others through the evil manipulation of facts and malicious prosecution of innocent people.

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Alan Bates for his tenacious pursuit of justice and for forcing this scandal of enormous proportion into all of our living rooms.

He is an example to all of us and a reminder of how a determined and thorough approach can pay dividends. The timeline of events in this sordid scandal has been widely publicised as has the plight of the many victims whose lives have been blighted and characters destroyed for no good reason whatsoever.

Therefore, I will not reiterate those details but do feel compelled to add my thoughts and considerations to the ongoing debate.

I have read and listened to much debate about how Post Office leaders focussed upon protecting the organisational reputation at all costs and in some warped way they prioritised that above those victims whose lives they were so clearly ready and willing to sacrifice and destroy. There are two very distinct points I want to make here.

Organisational behaviour and workplace culture start at the top.

It is the head of any organisation that sets the standard including their honesty and integrity.

Firstly, the only way to develop and protect reputation, be it of an individual or an organisation, is to do the right thing and act with honesty and integrity, anything less falls short of what is required of anyone in any public office.

The role of a Chief Executive is critical in shaping organisation culture and setting the standard for their staff to follow. They must be seen to act with honesty and integrity that hasn’t been the case with the Post Office.

Paula Vennells has rightly been castigated for her role in this miscarriage of justice, and with good cause too.

It makes my blood boil when I see people treated with such little respect and discarded like an old fish and chip paper.

Salt must have been rubbed into the wounds of those affected when Ms Vennells was awarded a CBE for services to the Post Office - thank goodness it has been handed back.

The second point is more of a question, albeit rhetorical.

Did the Post Office leaders honestly believe their employees (and greatest asset) had suddenly gone rogue and chosen to follow a life of crime by stealing thousands of pounds?

Had all those people of previous good character become career criminals just at the time when a new IT system was introduced and able to catch them out?

It seems incredible to even contemplate let alone pursue without question and it should not have taken over twenty years to be properly considered and addressed.

The Horizon IT scandal is often referred to as the largest miscarriage of justice in British history and let us not forget this all came about because of a piece of software that didn’t work properly.

Let us also take note, that computer programs are not infallible and should not be regarded as such in any investigation.

It has taken a television drama to capture the public mood nationally and now hundreds of Post Office employees will have their unsafe convictions quashed by parliament within months in an unprecedented move

‘It makes my blood boil when I see people treated with such little respect and discarded like an old fish and chip paper’

designed to draw a line under one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in history.

We must all continue to use our Post Offices and the services provided.

The people we see working there within our communities do not represent the unscrupulous face of a corrupt organisation that is not to be trusted.

They are simply doing their jobs, providing a service to the community and earning a living.

They will continue to need our custom perhaps more so now than ever.

Moving forward, I believe two aspects of this whole sorry scenario require proper and thorough investigation, all victims must be fully reimbursed and compensated taking account of the suffering they have been subjected to.

Secondly, the actions of those involved may amount to criminal conduct and must be investigated.

Those involved must be accountable for their actions.

● Before I stop typing and on a completely different subject, I was very sorry to learn of our Member of Parliament Tony Lloyd’s passing.

It is a sad loss for Rochdale and my sincere condolences go to his family at this difficult time.