Is the UK's Independent Police Complaints Commission really independent? Radio 4's File on 4 investigates.

I've just been listening to File on 4 on Radio 4. See File on 4. If you missed it, you may like to listen to the repeat on Sun 24 Jan 2010 at 17:00.

"In 2009, 2,445 cases, including allegations of police brutality, deaths in custody and serious negligence, were referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. But is it truly independent, and does its record over five years encourage public confidence? Gerry Northam investigates."

Having listened to the programme I was shocked at the bias shown by the IPCC. It seems clear to me that investigations of 'police brutality, deaths in custody and serious negligence' don't have a snowball's chance in Hell of being investigated fairly by the IPCC, especially headed as it is by Nick Hardwick, who appears lacking in deductive reasoning, to put it as kindly as possible.

Clearly complaints about police negligence are dealt with as partially as complaints about medical negligence. I reckon we'd be safer without the IPCC, just as I know we'd be safer without the NHS Complaints Procedures and without the General Medical Council. None of these august and expensive bodies can be trusted to tell the truth and to protect the members of the general public when powerful people like the police and the medical profession abuse their power in their dealings with the people they are paid to serve.

Corby Borough Council found guilty of negligence in the toxic waste/birth defects case.

Victory for the families damaged by Corby Borough Council's negligence between 1985 and 1999: BBC News reports that "Families who claim their children were born with defects caused by exposure to toxic waste in Northamptonshire have won a legal battle at the High Court."

The judgement was that 16 children had been born with birth defects because of the Council's negligence. - And this was not the only harm done to those children and their families by the Council's negligence. - The Council made the children and their families suffer ten years of legal fight, needlessly. - I heard the Corby Borough Council chief executive Chris Mallender on TV and on radio today trying to excuse the inexcusable by playing with words, while I wondered how he could live with himself at the harm done by him and his Council to innocent children, living lives of constant and permanent pain and disability .

There is another BBC News report on the same news item here: 'Constant pain from a young age'. Both of these BBC reports carry details of the harm done to some of the individual children. I hope that Chris Mallender reads all the reports and thinks about the suffering negligently inflicted, instead of thinking how to twist the meaning of words in an effort to wriggle out of the Council's responsibility for that suffering and to try to avoid paying appropriate financial compensation to that Council's victims. The Council should be leaning over backwards to help the children and their families, not trying to do the least they can get away with.

Army hero, Cpl Mark Wright, died because of failings of the Ministry of Defence

Army hero left to die by failings at MoD

Extract from the Sunday Telegraph:

"Last night, Bob Wright, the soldier's father, said he was furious with the Ministry of Defence, which he accused of "trying to hide the truth".

Cpl Wright, a 27-year-old paratrooper, was one of seven soldiers who became trapped in a minefield in September 2006 in Helmand, southern Afghanistan, following an operation to rescue a wounded soldier.

The report states:

• Cpl Wright died because of the non-availability of an aircraft equipped with a suitable winch

• Soldiers did not have a map of the mined area even though one was available

• Radio problems led to a communications breakdown

• Soldiers had to provide their own mine extraction kits

• The British military needs to develop its own Combat Search and Rescue capability.

At the time of the incident, the MoD made no mention of the equipment problems and claimed that Cpl Wright's injuries were so severe that he was effectively beyond medical help. But a copy of the soldier's post- mortem report, which has also been seen by this newspaper, states that the injuries were "survivable".

Last night, Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, described the findings as an appalling indictment of Labour defence policy.

"This is a catalogue of unacceptable errors," he said. "Contrary to the MoD's claims, it is clear that Cpl Wright's injuries were survivable."

Three of the soldiers who lost legs are suing the MoD for negligence. Their lawyer, Paul Harrington, who is also acting for Cpl Wright's parents, said: "There was a systemic failure by the Ministry of Defence in providing adequate resources, equipment and intelligence which led to a wholly avoidable death and serious injuries.""