The inquest into the death of Maria Stubbings
One of the primary duties of police forces is to assess risk and protect people from harm. The jury in the inquest into the murder of Maria Stubbings has found that Essex Police failed to protect Maria from the most serious harm. Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh has rightly apologised for that failure.
Since the murder of Maria Stubbings in December 2008, during a time of grief and unbearable loss, her family has shown great commitment and courage in seeking to find out exactly what happened. In doing so, they have performed an important public service. It is essential that we all understand the nature of the failures in this case. It is equally essential that those failures are addressed and rectified.
In his statement, Chief Constable Kavanagh wrote: “I cannot guarantee that there will never be another domestic murder in Essex but I am determined to make sure that we never fail a victim again in the same way we failed Maria Stubbings.”
For nearly two years now I have witnessed many changes and improvements to the ways in which Essex Police and partner agencies work to identify risk and prevent harm from occurring. The force has introduced Operation Shield, targeting around 120 individuals who have been assessed as potential high risk perpetrators of domestic abuse. There are also specialist domestic abuse teams overseeing complex cases and ensuring vital information is not missed. This relentless focus on perpetrators and commitment to specialist oversight of high risk cases is essential if tragedies such as the murder of Maria Stubbings are to be prevented in the future
As Police and Crime Commissioner, I have identified domestic abuse as the only crime type to be an Area of Focus in the Police and Crime Plan for Essex. I chair the pan-Essex Domestic Abuse Strategy Board, with very high level membership and commitment from Essex Police, Essex Probation, the Crown Prosecution Service, Essex County Council, Thurrock Council, Southend Borough Council, and both local NHS trusts and NHS England.
Together, we must ensure that a person is never again failed in the way that Maria Stubbings was failed. We must also strive at all times to protect people from the harm of domestic abuse.
Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex
