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by pltm
(PLTM) - The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office will be going hard after fraud, drugs, gun, murder and sex crimes under the new leadership of Ms. Kim Hollis, QC out of the United Kingdom (UK).
Hollis, serving just under a month now in the post as the new DPP, has already began implementing several measures, including setting up specialist teams in the prosecution office.
Addressing the opening of the 2016/2017 Law Year yesterday, Tuesday, September 20, Hollis said, "I know there are high expectations of me and I hope that I will not disappoint."
She went on to explain, "I have implemented a number of changes in relation to the consideration, prosecution and management of the most serious range of offenses with which we have to deal."
Hollis added, "Under my administration, we now have teams of specialist prosecutors within the office who will develop expertise in their chosen field and see a case from its inception to conclusion, thus ensuring both continuity and confidence as far as the public is concerned."
The specialist teams include murder and gang/drug crimes, sexual offenses, people trafficking and cross jurisdictional work, and financial crime, namely fraud, asset forfeiture and confiscation.
Hollis, who has served as the Diversity Advisor to the Legal Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), said that police officers will also know who to contact for specialist advice.
The new DPP has vast legal expertise in the areas of crime, fraud and financial regulation, international criminal law, confiscation and proceeds of crime act, prison law, inquests and public inquiries.
Protecting Vulnerable Witnesses
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the latter measure, she said that in order to combat the continual growth of serious crimes, she has proposed some important legislative changes in order to give the DPP's office and the courts effective tools in relation to trials where witnesses are either vulnerable or in need of special protection.
"We already have provision to allow witnesses to give their evidence by video link, which is the preferred method of dealing with witnesses in sexual offenses. However, I intend to extend special measures applications to include other serious offenses," she explained.
Hollis explained that the witness act allows for a witness whose evidence is likely to be diminished by reason of fear or distress to be screened from the accused and the public while giving evidence.
"There have been few applications and indeed the power has not been used since 2011. In the future, more applications will be made by the prosecution to screen a vulnerable or intimidated witness from the court."
She said, "Additionally, in order to supplement the availability of special measures within our courts, I have proposed that specific legislation be introduced in relation to witness anonymity in criminal proceedings, which should be introduced as a new statutory special measure."
The DPP said that the act would enable anonymity orders to be made in order to protect the identity and thus the safety of any witness who may otherwise be in fear or distressed about giving evidence.
"Although all-encompassing as far as offenses are concerned, in particular it would assist in the successfully prosecution of drug related or gang crimes, and has had a marked effect in the United Kingdom," she said.
She also requested as a matter of urgency, the implementation of the Juries Act.
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