Correspondence

Crime and policing news update: June 2013

Published 27 June 2013

1. 2013 Spending Round

On 26 June, the Chancellor announced the results from the 2013 Spending Round, including that central government revenue funding to the police will reduce by less than 6 per cent in real terms in 2015/16.

More precisely, the reduction will be £269 million, equivalent to a 4.9 per cent real terms reduction compared with 2014/15.

Police and crime commissioners will drive considerable further savings through improving procurement and collaboration across operational areas and support services, on top of the progress already made over the current Spending Review period. An Innovation Fund of up to £50 million will be created from 2014/15 to enable police and crime commissioners to invest in innovative approaches to improve policing and deliver further efficiencies in the future.

2. Strategy to transform the criminal justice system

The Ministry of Justice today published an action plan ‘Transforming the Criminal Justice System’ which was formally launched in a speech by Damian Green, the Policing and Criminal Justice Minister.

The plan sets out clear steps to transform criminal justice from a fragmented, paper-based system to an efficient digital service that treats victims and witnesses with the care and consideration they deserve.

For the police, the ambition is that mobile devices will be widely used to access real-time intelligence on the street, and in the event of criminal activity, begin building a digital case file there and then. This digital file will be used by all parts of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) as the case progresses into court.

Additionally, the increased use of video links to give evidence in court will help to save police time by ensuring they do not need to wait around at court unnecessarily for trials that often are adjourned because parties are not ready.

Further details about the Strategy and Action Plan can be found on Gov.uk.

3. Raising awareness of female genital mutilation before the summer holidays

On 24 June, the NSPCC launched a helpline to help protect UK children from female genital mutilation (FGM) after finding that over 1,700 victims were referred to specialist clinics in the last two years.*

The free 24-hour helpline, 0800 028 3550, is for anyone concerned that a child’s welfare is at risk because of FGM and are seeking advice, information or support. Though callers’ details can remain anonymous, any information that could protect a child from abuse will be passed to the police or social services. People can also email the NSPCC at fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk. The government hopes that information gathered from calls to the helpline will provide partners with the intelligence required to take action against those who facilitate FGM.

Partners who work with young girls who may be at risk of FGM can also order copies of the FGM statement by emailing Alison Humpreys .

The statement outlines:

• what FGM is
• the legislation and penalties involved
• the help and support available

It is available in English, French, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Amharic, Tigrina, Urdu, Farsi/Afghan, Turkish and Welsh.

*Six clinics in England, which specialise in helping victims of female genital mutilation, provided the NSPCC with patient data from the last two years.

4. Public consultation launched on protection from child sexual abuse

A number of recent high profile sexual abuse cases have highlighted the need for a fresh approach to the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences. In response to this, the College of Policing and the Director of Public Prosecutions have launched joint public consultations to help strengthen how the criminal justice system deals with child abuse and sexual exploitation.

The consultations seek comment on new guidance for investigating child abuse and child sexual exploitation and will clearly set out what is to be expected of police when a sexual offence has been committed against a child or young person.

The College of Policing consultations close on 3 September 2013.

5. Domestic Homicide Reviews

Following extensive consultation with partners, the Home Office has published two documents to assist local areas with Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs). The refreshed Multi-agency Statutory Guidance for the Conduct of Domestic Homicide Reviews comes into effect for notifications made by local areas to the Home Office from the 1 August 2013. Whilst the overall core DHR rationale and structure remains the same, the refreshed statutory guidance incorporates many comments received from partners to clarify elements of the DHR processes.

Following feedback from partners seeking clarity about the role of the Quality Assurance Panel, the Home Office has also published the Terms of Reference (June 2013) Domestic Homicide Review Quality Assurance Panel. This document sets out the role and remit of the Quality Assurance Panel.

6. Updates to Police.uk – changes to police recorded crime data and data hub launched

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently announced changes to the way in which police recorded crime data will be presented. Following this announcement the Home Office, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and ONS have been working together to ensure that presentation of crime data reflects the new changes and yet are easy for the public to understand.

As a result two new crime categories will now be included on Police.uk these are ‘bicycle theft’ and ‘theft from the person’. Changes to existing categories include:

• dividing ‘public disorder and possession of weapons’ into two separate categories - ‘public order’ and ‘possession of weapons’
• renaming the ‘violent crime’ category as ‘violence and sexual offences’, in order to make it clear to the public what crimes are included in this category

On 1 July data.police.uk - a new open data hub - will be launched. A number of improvements have been made to the way in which data and related information is provided on Police.uk. These include improved processes for custom and bulk downloads, improved documentation for the websites application programming interface (API) and the ability for users to query the API based on custom shapes. Shape files for both neighbourhood policing team and police force boundaries will continue to be provided on Police.uk.

If you would like any further details, please contact Amanda Smith.

7. Lord Ferrers Awards 2013

Now in its 20th year, the Lord Ferrers Awards recognises the outstanding contribution of special constables and police support volunteers who work with the police to make their local communities safer places to live and work.

The awards also recognise the important work undertaken by police and their partners to recruit, retain and support specials and police support volunteers.

Find out more about the ceremony and the winners.

Pictures from the ceremony can be seen on flickr.

8. Sentencing Council announces consultation on new guidelines for fraud, bribery and money laundering

The Sentencing Council has announced new proposals for how people convicted of fraud, money laundering and bribery should be sentenced.

More than 16,000 people were sentenced for fraud in 2011, with offences ranging from a fraudulent attempt to get a refund in a high street shop to a multi-million pound VAT fraud.

The draft guidelines cover offences that target individuals, businesses, public money and charities. They also include the sentencing of corporate offenders, money laundering and bribery, and conspiracy offences which are not covered in current guidelines,

The guidance will also help prosecutors when Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) are introduced early next year by giving an indication of the potential financial penalties a company could face if convicted. This, in turn, could influence the level of penalties imposed.

As well as providing courts with a consistent set of guidelines, the proposals aim to more fully take into account the impact on victims of financial crimes. This will mean higher sentences for some offenders compared to the current guideline, particularly where the financial loss is relatively small but the impact on the victim is high.

The 14-week consultation is seeking views on the factors that make the offences more or less serious, additional factors that should influence the sentence, the structure of the guidelines and the sentences that should be passed.

The consultation runs to 4 October and is open to both criminal justice professionals and members of the public.

Responses can be submitted online at www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk, by email by post to the Office of the Sentencing Council.

Consultation on DNA retention guidance launched

Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, DNA and fingerprints will be deleted automatically when set retention periods expire. Over a million DNA profiles have already been deleted in preparation for the Act coming into force in October. In addition to these deletions, in exceptional cases a chief constable may decide to delete an individual’s material before the automatic deletion date.

On the 18 June, a six week public consultation was published on new guidance for chief constables considering early DNA deletion applications from members of the public. The new guidance aims to ensure the early deletion process is applied in a fair and consistent manner by forces across the country. The government is committed to seeking a wide range of views before finalising the guidance, which will come into effect in October. See more information about the consultation, including how to respond .

9. Temporary bans on two new psychoactive substances

On the 10 June two groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS) were made illegal for up to 12 months while government assess whether they should permanently be controlled. The substances are commonly known as ‘Benzofury’ and ‘NBOMe’. You can read the full news story.

10. Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service goes live

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) launched a new service on 17 June called the Update Service.

The Update Service puts individuals in greater control of their information. Individuals that subscribe to the service for an annual fee of £13 will be able to invite an employer or prospective employer to check whether any new information is available on them.

This service was in direct response to public concerns about the disclosure service highlighted by the “Your Freedom” website. Under the system at present, 43 per cent of all disclosure applications are made by customers who have previously submitted one and 92 per cent of disclosures do not contain any conviction or other data.

The new service will transform the disclosure service by introducing portability of certificates and stopping the need for individuals to apply for repeat disclosure certificates where no new criminality or other relevant information is available. Employers, should they choose, will be able to make free and instant checks for new information as often as they want, providing they have the individual’s consent. This will enable them to identify whether new criminality or other relevant information is present more quickly than under the current system.

This new service will run alongside the current disclosure service offered by the DBS.

Read the news story on this.

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill reaches Commons Committee stage

In May 2013 the Home Office Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill was introduced into the House of Commons. The Bill introduces simpler, more effective powers to tackle anti-social behaviour that provide better protection for victims and communities. The Bill also tackles irresponsible dog ownership and the use of illegal firearms by gangs and organised criminal groups, strengthen the protection afforded to the victims of forced marriage, and enhance the professional capabilities and integrity of the police.

The Bill was given an unopposed second reading on 10 June and is now being scrutinised clause-by-clause by a Public Bill Committee. The Committee has also taken oral evidence from a number of interested parties including: • national policing leads • the Police Superintendents’ Association • the Police Federation • the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners • the College of Policing • the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The Bill, Explanatory Notes, and the transcript of the second reading and committee stage debates are available on the Parliament website.

Further information, including fact sheets on all the provisions in the Bill, is also available.

11. Compact guidance

The Voluntary, Community and Society Enterprise (VCSE) sector has an enormous amount of value to add in helping to shape and deliver better public services as well as achieving effective community engagement, especially with some of our more vulnerable communities. In response to this challenge, Compact Voice have published guidance as to how the compact – an agreement between the voluntary sector and the government – can help to achieve effective collaboration and better working together including through local compacts. Details can be found on the Compact Voice website.