Is She Right That The Murder Of A Police Officer Should Be Treated Differently?

[LazyGun]

Theresa May, in a speech to the Police Federation, has called for a change in sentencing, whereby someone who murders a police officer should serve a whole-life tariff.... agree, or disagree?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/theresa-may-life-should-mean-life-for-murdering-a-police-officer

[knowabit]

To attack and kill ANY human being is wrong... whether a policeman or not.
Murder is murder and the sentence should be the same for whoever was murdered. Would my husband, father of 3, be less important than a policeman if he were murdered?

[bazwillrun]

Yes, but then so should a murder of a civilian...is a policemans life more valuable ?

[jim360]

Agree with that, baz. Murders should be treated equally seriously regardless of the job of the victim. I think this may be Theresa May's attempt to win back the support of the police.

[sir.prize]

So Theresa May wants to move the 'goalposts'.

If the maximum sentence for killing a police officer is a whole-life tariff, then it should apply to every murder; whatever the motive, even including passion murder.

Anyway - her main job is to remove Abu Qatada.

[FredPuli43]

Disagree. The judge will give a minimum period which has to be served before the prisoner is eligible for parole and can increase the figure when the victim is a police officer acting as such. He can be ordered to serve a full life term, too.

But I applaud Mrs May for cynically appealing to an audience of police officers. A truly expert politician.

[Kevink]

"But I applaud Mrs May for cynically appealing to an audience of police officers. A truly expert politician."

Couldn't agree more.

[jno]

agree with FredPuli. I look forward to the day when murdering retirees gets a full life sentence because she needs the grey vote.

[ToraToraTora]

I think life should mean life full stop, however in the absence of that then yes to the headline question.

[youngmafbog]

when was the last time your husband,a father of three, stand in the way of a nutter or anyone armed?
If we cannot have life meaning life then yes Police should be a special case

[FredPuli43]

Quite. Next time a man of sixty gets thirty years minimum, he'll say "But, judge, I won't live that long!" and the judge will reply "Well, do as much as you can"

[Baldric]

Should it not apply to all murders, not just Police?

[ToraToraTora]

Yes fred it's always puzzled me how people seem to relate human longevity to sentencing in some way. I love the US system where they have no such constrain and no concurrency and thus sentence by the count so it can add up to hundreds of years! Great, as you say, do as much as you can!

[LazyGun]

This kind of thing, Tora?

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/09/orleans_parish_judge_sentences_1.html

Just seems a tad redundant and faintly ridiculous to me, if I am being honest,unless the judge knows something the rest of us do not about breakthroughs in life expectancy :)

I understand peoples comments about police being paid to do what can be ultimately a fatal job and all - but i think it would send out a poor message to society as a whole were you to treat the murder of a police officer differently to anyone elses murder, so I would disagree with her comments, myself...

[doctordb]

Perhaps we could have a 'occupational grading system' for murder.

At the top of the scale the murder of policemen and nurses would carry a life term. Somewhere in the middle the abrupt demise of a carpet salesman or librarian would bring a sentence of 15 years. Working down to the bottom of the list where we find estate agents and traffic wardens and maybe just a slap on the wrist.

[Bazile]

//when was the last time your husband,a father of three, stand in the way of a nutter or anyone armed?
If we cannot have life meaning life then yes Police should be a special case //

Who exactly forces a person to become a police officer ?

[FredPuli43]

Murdering a police officer used to be in the restricted category of murders for which the death penalty was available. Just noticed that s18 of the 1861 Offences against the Person Act (wounding or inflicting gbh with intent to cause gbh) is proved without proving the intent to cause gbh IF the wounding/gbh is to prevent the lawful apprehension or detention of someone.

So police officers have long been regarded as needing special protection. They still are; anyone who assaults or murders one is facing a higher tariff in sentence

[LazyGun]

Full Fact have done some research on life sentences for murder, and referenced this recent speech by Theresa May. It would appear that whether the victim is a public official doing their job is already factored into the assessment of sentencing...

http://fullfact.org/factchecks/murder_homicide_sentence_licence_release_parole-28691

[sir.prize]

Very true Steve - and that usually results in 'soft justice'.

[Old_Geezer]

Yet another example to show me that I'm not important. Kill a policement and you get life. Kill a nurse or a postman or a firman or ..... well the rest of us don't count for so much obviously.