Cheshire Police Commissioner skirt comments reach House of Lords
By Alex Greensmith
7th Feb 2024 | Local News
The recent reveal of comments that have caused controversy from Cheshire Police Commissioner John Dwyer, have reached the House of Lords.
His words were quoted a national level in Westminster, earlier this week.
In November 2023, Mr Dwyer is said to have been heard saying "I notice schoolgirls in my area are all wearing very short skirts and this did not happen in the 1960s."
This led to a complaint being made to Cheshire Police and Crime Panel, and resulted in an apology from Mr Dwyer last Friday.
And on Monday evening, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle read his words at the Lords Grand Committee.
An 80-second video, which can be viewed at the top of this article, shows first reaction from the House to his comments, as read by the Green Party peer.
It has been transcribed as follows: "The second point I want to raise is in relation to Baroness Brinton's Amendment 75, which I'm aware specifically refers to education of the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service)."
"But I think we have got to look at the context, the very recent context, in which this covers before us after which the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, John Dwyer, in a discussion on violence against womena dn girls with the Culceth and Glazebury Parish Council, was quoted as saying and I quote 'I notice schoolgirls in my area are all wearing very short skirts, and this did not happen in the 1960s.' Close quotes."
"Now there's two points to make here I think," she added.
"One is about the evident need across the criminal justice system for a great deal of education, and possibly we might think that some people are beyond education, but we need that education happening, and we need that education to be there, to delivering confidence to the victims of crime that they can come forward and be treated properly."
When Mr Dwyer's comments were revealed by the Green Party peer, noises were made and heads were turned by other members of the House of Lords.
Baroness Bennett went onto post on the social media site X, "#VAWG [violence against women and girls] -- we need education across the criminal justice system."
"You can see the House reacting with shock when I shared the recent words of @CheshirePCC. Which deserve shock."
The clip posted to her account @natalieben has since received 3600 views.
The House of Lords mention came one day after a political party in Cheshire East called for Mr Dwyer's resignation.
Mr Dwyer and his office were contacted by Macclesfield Nub News for comment, regarding the national platform his comments has now received. They indicated they had nothing further to add, from what has already been published on his website.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, has previously said: "I want to begin by acknowledging the understandable hurt caused, and to make it unequivocally clear that what I said was wrong."
"I would like to offer a full and unreserved apology to the complainant, the Police and Crime Panel and anyone rightly hurt by my comment. I am truly sorry and accept that my comment was inappropriate and unhelpful.
"In no way does it give an accurate reflection of how seriously I take the matter of tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). There can be no justification for the actions of perpetrators.
"My ambition to tackle this issue is clear in my Police and Crime Plan and I have personally driven a number of projects and initiatives to tackle VAWG and the crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls.
"A summary of these can be found below. Whilst the list is by no means exhaustive, I hope that my actions will go some way to reassuring the complainant - and anyone who is understandably concerned by my comment – about my commitment to stamping out VAWG."
His full response to the complaint, and his violence against women and girls plan, can be read on this link.
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