The proposed amendment to the Bradford Bill reinforces a commonsense approach to dealing with allegations of inconsequential force used against children by parents, the Commissioner of Police, Howard Broad, said today.
Mr Broad said that the amendment would send a useful signal to the public in terms of helping avoid what might otherwise have been a very significant increase in the volume of calls to police for action.
"The proposed amendment positively indicates that the threshold of violence against children requiring intervention of the criminal law is suitably low but not so low as to waste police time.
"We think that the proposed amendment to the law will be eminently workable while we celebrate what is undoubtedly a healthy contribution to the ongoing campaign to reduce family violence.
"Police are used to exercising discretion and the amendment reinforces this practice.
"We'll be promulgating a practice note on this matter just as soon as the law is passed.
"We're confident that we can get this right. If we don't we know that the courts and the Police Complaints Authority will soon tell us as to how they see the law being appropriately applied," said Mr Broad.
ENDS
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