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Hayley Clayton spent a night in hospital with ten stitches to a serious head wound following an unprovoked attack. Three weeks later police told her they had found the culprit but would not prosecute because ‘it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money’. She was offered £100 and an apology from her attacker or have the offender cautioned by police. She found both offers unacceptable. She didn’t want the money she just wanted justice and the offender punished so she would learn the error of her ways and not go on to hurt somebody else. The compensation offer was increased to £150. She refused the offer. Last year 7,243 criminals with more than ten previous convictions only received a caution or warning for a serious offence. A spokesperson for the Centre for Crime Prevention said, ‘Most police have no confidence that serious repeat offenders will get a proper prison sentence if they go to court, so there is no point in going through all the paperwork.’
Pray: that the Ministry of Justice would clamp down more severely on simple cautions and short cuts to avoid paperwork. Pray for a justice system in which both the public and victims can have confidence. (Dt.27:19)
Police in Lancashire have told the owner of a Christian café to stop displaying Bible texts on a video screen, because it breaches public order laws. Officers attended the Salt & Light Coffee House on Layton Road, Blackpool, on Monday 19 September, following a complaint about ‘insulting’ and ‘homophobic’ material. The café’s owner, Mr Jamie Murray, says the officers did not specify which texts had caused the offence. The Bible texts are displayed on a TV screen at the back of the café. Mr Murray uses a set of DVDs called the Watchword Bible that cycle through the whole of the New Testament verse by verse. Mr Murray is being supported by The Christian Institute, a national charity that defends the religious liberty of Christians. There is widespread concern that the police are misusing the law to clamp down on words or material that others may find ‘insulting’. Civil rights groups worry about the impact on free speech.
Pray: for the police action in this case to be overturned in court as an infringement of free speech. (Pr.4:5)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/video-police-ban-bible-from-christian-cafe/
Speaking at a conference organised by Faith in Britain and the Metropolitan Police Service, Commissioner Bernard Hogan Howe said, ‘There's no way that we can police this city alone - we have to do this with the people not to them.’ The conference came just ahead of the first anniversary of the riots that brought scenes of violence, arson and looting to the streets of London, Manchester and other parts of the UK. The Commissioner concluded by saying, ‘It can't be just about enforcement - it has to be about diversion, encouraging people to live a better life.’ Les Isaac, whose Ascension Trust has pioneered Street Pastors across the UK, challenged the Church to act. ‘If my gospel is just for Sunday morning it is absolutely useless, if it is just for heaven then it is not to be talked about. It starts here on earth in a very practical way.’
Pray: that this conversation will produce more ways in which the Church can help the Police's work tackling the many forms of disorder in society. (Ps.33:12-14)
More: http://w ww.eauk.org/current-affairs/politics/police-and-churches-partner-to-tackle-crime.cfm
David Davis hopes to overturn a ‘gross injustice’ against the former chief whip Andrew Mitchell over a confrontation with officers in Downing Street, stating the Police had been called into question by a series of recent revelations. Davis said the Police log has ‘very similar wording’ to two emails sent to an MP by a serving officer who claimed to have witnessed the incident. The MP handed the emails to No 10. The Police Officer has now admitted he was not present. The Police log and emails claimed the incident was witnessed by several people. CCTV footage shows only one member of the public witnessed the incident. Mitchell and Davis were refused permission by the Met commissioner to see the Police log and are relying on a newspaper version which Davis said, ‘If it is an accurate account of the Police log it would get torn to shreds in Court for what was clearly not true.’
Pray: for a fair enquiry that resolves this issue and for any hidden agendas to be revealed. (Ps.15)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/dec/19/david-davis-police-andrew-mitchell
The Prime Minister has faced a backlash from Christian leaders after stating in his speech at the Conservative party conference that he backed legalising homosexual ‘marriage. Mr Cameron said in his speech: ‘We're consulting on legalising gay marriage. To anyone who has reservations, I say: Yes, it's about equality, but it's also about something else: commitment. His comments on homosexual ‘marriage’ were picked up on by a number of church leaders. The Most Rev Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, said: ‘Whilst we welcome the Prime Minister's support of marriage, the proposed redefinition of marriage cannot be right. Marriage by its very nature is between a man and a woman and it is the essential foundation of family life. The state should uphold this common understanding of marriage rather than attempting to change its meaning.’ A spokesman for the Church of England said ‘The Church’s view remains of marriage as the life-long union between a man and a woman.’
Pray: for Mr Cameron to recognise the dichotomy of his view and to ensure the Government’s positive support for heterosexual marriage. (Gen.1:27-28)
The head of Britain's largest Christian broadcaster has warned the Government that it would be ill-advised to ignore the rights of Christians. Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier Christian Radio, has written to the Prime Minister reminding him that the number of regular church attendees across Britain outnumbers the combined membership of the three main political parties by nearly 10 to one. ‘Politicians would do well to heed the views of Christians who are, quite clearly, more faithful to their beliefs than the dwindling numbers of party members,’ said Mr Kerridge in his letter. He said the attendance at the three main party conferences had been ‘embarrassingly low’ this season and that the ‘deserted conference halls’ were an accurate reflection of the declining membership of the three main parties from a total of around 1.4 million in 1991 to less than half a million in 2012.
Pray: that politicians would heed the rights of Christians and the power of the Church. (Ps.74:23)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/dont.ignore.christian.voters.pm.warned/30823.htm
David Cameron has hit out at a ‘slow-motion moral collapse’ and said family and parenting is the place to start to fix society. In a speech following the riots in English cities the Prime Minister said social problems that have been ‘festering for decades’ have ‘exploded in our face’ and said that politicians have been ‘too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong’. Mr Cameron also said he wanted a ‘family test’ applied to all domestic policy. He said: ‘If it hurts families, if it undermines commitment, if it tramples over the values that keeps people together, or stops families from being together, then we shouldn’t do it.’ He noted that politicians ‘shying away’ from ‘speaking the truth about behaviour, about morality’, has ‘actually helped to cause the social problems we see around us. We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said – about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy.’
Pray: for the restoration of biblical values of family and morality. (Lev.18:4)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/pm-says-families-matter-in-post-riot-fightback/
The latest edition of ‘Keep The Faith’, a magazine for Britain's black Christian community, is focusing on the riots that swept through English cities during the summer. Writing in the latest edition David Cameron said faith had a role to play in mending the breakdown of responsibility in Britain. ‘For too long in our society we have been unwilling to talk about behaviour and morality. I believe faith leaders have a key role to play in instilling this greater sense of right and wrong – and it is up to us to help in this mission to build a fairer, stronger and more responsible society.’ Offering his take on the cause of the unrest, the Rev Ade Amooba of Christian Concern for the Nation wrote that a united black Christian community could have prevented the riots. Rev David Shosanya called churches to give financial support to organisations working with disenfranchised and vulnerable youths whilst Rev Rose Hudson Wilkins said that liberal society had left a void which churches will have to address.
Pray: for a united church, demonstrating and speaking out something new that addresses economic and ethical issues.(Ps.133:1 & Jn.17:23)
David Cameron speaking at a national parliamentary prayer breakfast has praised the role of Christianity in society, but an Oxford professor says many Christians feel marginalised. The Prime Minister told delegates at the prayer breakfast, held in Westminster Hall: “It is encouraging that Christianity still plays such a vital role in our national life. He said: “It has had an immense historic influence in the development of our culture and institutions and it motivates British people to wonderful acts of service and self-sacrifice. We are a country with a Christian heritage and we should not be afraid to say so.” John Lennox, an Oxford University maths professor pointed to a “vocal minority of influential minds” which he says mocks and ridicules the faith. He said: “Although we no longer burn the Bible in this country, a vocal minority of influential minds mock and ridicule it”.
Pray: for Mr Cameron's words to be reflected in the legislation and work of Parliament. (Eph.5:6)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/pm-praises-christianity-but-admits-there-are-challenges/
The Prime Minister David Cameron said he is absolutely determined that the Coalition Government would be ‘legislating for gay marriage in this parliament.’ He went on to say, ‘The promise I can make you is that this coalition government is committed both to changing the law and also working to change the culture and the Conservative party absolutely backs that. This is something that I personally feel very passionately about.’ In a separate development the Scottish Governmen intends to bring forward a bill introducing same-sex marriage in spite of strong opposition. The PM's claim of support from the Conservative party stands at odds with the public statements of various MPs, including Cabinet ministers who oppose the plans. On Friday leading Evangelical Christian groups released a written prayer for marriage' to be used throughout the nation. See: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/christians-urged-to-pray-for-marriage/ The call for prayer has been jointly issued by CARE, Christian Concern, the Evangelical Alliance and The Christian Institute.
Pray: for the debate on marriage in society to be bathed in prayer - and for David Cameron to perceive God’s unique way forward. (Ps.119:18)