Government Cuts Hit Victims Of Violent Crime – Including Dog Attack Victims

Thousands of innocent victims of crime are set to lose out on modest compensation if government plans go ahead to change the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, which is being debated in the House of Lords tomorrow (Wednesday). Victims of dog attacks – like those in St Leonards on Sea on Sunday – and victims of assault are among those who will be affected.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) is the last place that many victims of crime can turn for compensation if they are unable to bring a criminal prosecution or if the person responsible has no assets. Awards are generally modest – a few thousand pounds – and are strictly policed, with over half (52 per cent) being rejected. The cost of the scheme has remained stable over the last four years. CWU members, including postal workers, telecom engineers and shop workers in customer-facing roles are all at risk.

CWU Bite Back Campaign

Dave Joyce, CWU's National Health, Safety and Environment Officer leads the union's Bite Back Campaign.

He told Unionsafety:

"CWU wants to see changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act to improve responsible dog ownership and reduce the number of serious dog attacks. Over the last five years around 5,000 dog attacks on postal workers have taken place each year – a number which rises to almost 6,000 when telecom engineers are added in.

This dropped to 3,100 for postal workers in the last year to April 2012 but remains far too high. CWU is working with the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Association of Chief Police Officers, Dog Wardens Association, Kennel Club, Dogs Trust and other interested parties to lobby for changes to the law, including extending the law to private property, bringing in compulsory microchipping and greater powers for enforces such as Dog Control Notices."

Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said:

“This is a cut too far, taking compensation from the victims of crime who are most vulnerable.

The Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme is the last safety net for many victims of crime who are unable to receive compensation through other means. Often this happens when the attacker or dog owner is on benefits and has no assets, so even a successful prosecution does not guarantee any compensation for the victim. That’s where the CICS comes into play.

If the owners of the out-of-control dogs in St Leonards on Sea end up having no assets then the 10 or so people who have suffered severe injuries would receive no compensation under the government’s latest cuts proposals. These are innocent victims needing hospital treatment for criminal injuries. This move will mean abandoning people when they are at their most vulnerable and it must be stopped.”

Case Study

Paul Coleman, a Royal Mail postman in Sheffield, suffered a horrific dog attack in December 2007 when delivering mail. According to witnesses, the two bulldog terriers grabbed a leg each, dragged him to the ground and subjected him to a horrifying prolonged attack. Paul suffered serious leg, arm and chest injuries and was in hospital for six days, undergoing skin grafts and plastic surgery. At one stage, doctors feared that he could lose his right arm, in which significant nerve and muscle damage occurred. Surgeons managed to save it, but Paul has permanent scarring and suffers reduced mobility.

Paul won a court case against the owner of the dog, who was jailed for nine months, and was awarded damages and compensation. But because the dog owner was unemployed and had no assets Paul received nothing. He applied to the CICS and eventually received £7,500, not much considering the injuries he has to live with for the rest of his life. Under the government's proposed changes Paul wouldn't be allowed to apply to CICS and would have been left with nowhere to turn.

More on the CWU’s Bite Back campaign can be found on the CWU website here

Source: CWU