Deputy Mike Higgins, Sunday Express, Exclusive and State Media.

Fellow Blogger Rico Sorda and VFC, have once more been recognised, by the National Media,  and have featured in today's edition of the SUNDAY EXPRESS. Also featured in the Express article is Jersey Politician Deputy Mike Higgins who was asked by the paper for a contribution, as a direct result of our previous Blog Posting where we published Deputy Higgins' evidence to the PARLIAMENTARY SELECT COMMITTEE.

Ted Jeory, Home Affairs Editor of the Sunday Express, who  recently visited the island with Author and Investigative Journalist, LEAH MCGRATH GOODMAN, and documentary filmmakers, also published an article on Jersey two weeks ago as featured on Rico Sorda's Blog HERE yet very little, or any of this, has been mentioned in the local State Media.

Today VFC contacted Deputy Mike Higgins and asked if ANY of the local State Media had contacted him as a result of his evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee, or the publications in the Sunday Express. The deputy told us, that he was contacted by a local journalist about the Justice Select Committee and its visit to Jersey. It was reported that the Deputy had made a submission but no details were published of its content and no one has contacted him regarding the Sunday Express article. The Deputy informed us that the only media that has contacted him, in this regard, is National Journalists and documentary filmmakers after reading the articles on this Blog.

As a result of us contacting the Deputy today we were able to obtain the un-redacted document he had sent to the Sunday Express which, for whatever reason, was unable to be published in its entirety and we offer it Exclusively here (below).

Deputy Higgins' submission to Sunday Express (un-redacted)

It is said that the rule of Law is an essential element in a democracy. Parliaments pass laws, the police enforce them and the courts and judiciary deal with those who break them. But what happens when one or more of these institutions fails to do its duty?

Take Jersey, for example. The States of Jersey Police stand accused of: failing to properly investigate a bank for fraud; some civil servants for perjury and others for physical and sexual abuse of children in state care homes; entering premises without a warrant or just cause; playing fast and loose with their surveillance powers, and losing evidence that would help child abuse victims get compensation. They also stand accused of failing to investigate criminal acts allegedly carried out by police officers on other police officers, and of stonewalling all attempts to obtain information and redress. Even the Chief and Deputy Chief of Police are alleged to have perverted the course of justice. But who looks over these guardians of the law. Not the parliament where the Home Affairs Minister when asked if he has called in an external police force to investigate the allegations refuses to answer questions and states that he would like to change the parliament’s standing orders to prevent such questions being asked in future. Not the Data Protection Commissioner who has failed to prevent the abuse of subject access legislation and enforce disclosure.

The lack of accountability and transparency by the States of Jersey Police and the failure of those responsible for overseeing them is seriously damaging the public’s trust in the police, the Island’s parliament, the Data Protection Commissioner and other institutions, such as the Judiciary who also recently faced the ignominy of a judge being jailed for fraud.

"I believe that this should act as a warning to all citizens and politicians on the mainland who believe in democratic accountability. Without transparency in the police, government and a free press with courageous investigative journalists who are prepared to expose these abuses there is the feedstock for corruption. Unfortunately for most people they will only realize how bad it has got when it directly affects them and then it is usually too late.(END).

It should be said, that those accused in this posting will strenuously deny the allegations against them which is why there needs to be an investigation in order to get to the bottom of all this alleged corruption on the island or is it already time for the UK to intervene?

Furthermore, the longer Jersey's State Media attempt to keep a lid on this stuff, the longer the Bloggers (Jersey's only independent media) and National Media will be interested in discovering why they choose to keep it buried?