1,000 signatures reached
To: Chris Grayling - Secretary of State for Justice
Protect the public from fake health & care workers
Change the law to allow police to arrest someone impersonating a health or care professional to prevent abuse or crimes taking place.
This will protect the most vulnerable people in our society from those impersonating paramedics, doctors, nurses, social workers, AHPs and other professionals.
This will protect the most vulnerable people in our society from those impersonating paramedics, doctors, nurses, social workers, AHPs and other professionals.
Why is this important?
This is important as highlighted by a number of recent cases, the most high profile of which was a young man in Sussex who was jailed for a number of years for fraudulently impersonating a paramedic and ambulance professional, gaining access to the elderly and vulnerable and causing harm.
In this case, the police knew that the individual was a serious risk, knew the individual was an imposter, but had to wait until a crime was committed before eventually charging him with an array of offences.
Read about the case here:
http://www.sussex.police.uk/whats-happening/latest/news-stories/2014/10/14/fraudster-sent-back-to-prison-for-impersonating-a-paramedic
Other cases have been individuals driving around in vehicle with blue lights and sirens, pretending to be ambulance professions and paramedics, a crime that the police can't arrest them for.
Worryingly, the same applies to all health and care professionals, so if you want to impersonate a doctor, nurse, social worker, physiotherapist, AHP or any other kind of regulated health or care professional, this isn't an arrestable offence.
IT IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE THAT INDIVIDUALS CAN FRAUDULENTLY DRESS-UP AND PRETEND TO BE AMONGST THE MOST TRUSTED MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY AND CANNOT BE ARRESTED UNTIL THEY HARM SOMEONE.
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN TO REQUEST URGENT ACTION BY OUR GOVERNMENT.
In this case, the police knew that the individual was a serious risk, knew the individual was an imposter, but had to wait until a crime was committed before eventually charging him with an array of offences.
Read about the case here:
http://www.sussex.police.uk/whats-happening/latest/news-stories/2014/10/14/fraudster-sent-back-to-prison-for-impersonating-a-paramedic
Other cases have been individuals driving around in vehicle with blue lights and sirens, pretending to be ambulance professions and paramedics, a crime that the police can't arrest them for.
Worryingly, the same applies to all health and care professionals, so if you want to impersonate a doctor, nurse, social worker, physiotherapist, AHP or any other kind of regulated health or care professional, this isn't an arrestable offence.
IT IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE THAT INDIVIDUALS CAN FRAUDULENTLY DRESS-UP AND PRETEND TO BE AMONGST THE MOST TRUSTED MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY AND CANNOT BE ARRESTED UNTIL THEY HARM SOMEONE.
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN TO REQUEST URGENT ACTION BY OUR GOVERNMENT.
How it will be delivered
We will deliver the petition in the New Year in person. So it's urgent that thousands of us sign it now, to ramp up the pressure before the hand-in.
