Correspondence

Crime and policing news update: October 2014

Published 30 October 2014

1. Policing and Mental Health Summit

On 23 October the Home Office and Black Mental Health UK jointly held a summit on Policing and Mental Health. In her speech, the Home Secretary made very clear the importance to her of this work, and announced a package of measures to improve the police response to people with mental health problems, including greater transparency about police use of their powers under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The event brought together leaders from both the policing and health sectors and the Voluntary and Community Sector. Workshops were held on the identification and the transportation of vulnerable people, the use of physical restraint, lessons learned from deaths in custody and places of safety. These generated some in depth and considered discussions that will help inform Home Office policy thinking.

A booklet highlighting some of the initiatives to ensure people with particular needs receive the appropriate assistance has been published, alongside a guide, ‘Supporting Vulnerable People Who Encounter the Police – A Strategic Guide to Forces and Their Partners’, which sets out approaches that work at different points where the police encounter vulnerable people.

2. First anniversary of the National Crime Agency and the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy

The 7 October marked the first anniversary of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the government’s Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) strategy. The NCA is a major delivery agent for the SOC strategy and in its first year has already had some notable successes. These include coordinating a six-month operation which led to the arrest of 660 suspected paedophiles; and leading an international operation to tackle malware used for cyber-crime. These operations have been conducted through close partnerships with the police and other international law enforcement partners.

The Serious and Organised Crime strategy is based on the framework used for counter-terrorism – Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare – and sets out a comprehensive, detailed, cross-government approach. As part of this work, the government has introduced a Serious Crime Bill. Measures include a new offence of participation in an organised crime group which targets professionals who have tried to evade justice by hiding behind a veneer of respectability. The Bill also ensures the NCA, police and others have the powers they need to tackle serious crimes.

3. Home Office launches campaign aimed at professional enablers of organised crime

The Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) strategy identifies those professionals (such as bankers or lawyers) who could potentially be key enablers of serious and organised crime, either through complicity or negligence.

The Home Office has launched a campaign specifically aimed at solicitors. As well as seeking to deter them from becoming involved in criminal activity, the campaign provides practical guidance on how they can avoid becoming unwittingly involved, specifically on fraud and money-laundering.

As part of the campaign, articles on key messages will be published in the legal press and partner communication channels. Webinars and a Law Gazette roundtable focussing on how the profession and government can work together to tackle the threat from serious and organised crime are also being planned. If you would like more information on the campaign, please e-mail: RICU@homeoffice.x.gsi.gov.uk

4. Tackling online fraudsters

Earlier this year the Government launched Cyber Streetwise to help people and businesses protect themselves online. With some internet users either ignoring or underestimating the threat of online fraud, a new phase of the campaign was launched on 22 October. The campaign highlights how easily hackers can crack simple passwords and gain access to people’s finances and personal details, leaving them open to cyber crime, and encourages people to use more complex passwords to combat online fraudsters.

5. Home Office and Avon and Somerset police launch “Stop It, Spot It” fraud pilot

Fraud against the public is believed to cost about £9 billion a year, but the real cost to victim’s lives is far greater. Action Fraud states that last year, victims over 60 years old in Avon and Somerset alone lost over £5 million.

To help people avoid becoming victims of fraud, a joint Home Office and Avon and Somerset police initiative has been launched. The “Spot It, Stop It” campaign aims to encourage individuals aged 60-85 to adopt behaviours which will protect them against fraud, whether they’re approached at the door, via phone or online. The initiative is being trialled in the Avon and Somerset police force area, and activity has been designed to complement the Cyber Streetwise campaign.

More information on the campaign, including downloadable versions of campaign leaflets, checklists and posters, is available. If you’re interested in becoming involved in this initiative, contact RICU@homeoffice.x.gsi.gov.uk

6. New anti-social behaviour powers into effect

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 gives police, local councils and other agencies more effective powers to tackle anti-social behaviour. These measures commenced on 20 October and replace 19 pre-existing measures. The new measures include: * the criminal behaviour order which bans an individual from certain activities or places and is issued after a person is found guilty of an offence. * a police dispersal power that requires anti-social individuals to leave a particular area. * the community protection notice which allows councils and police to stop persistent anti-social behaviour which spoils the communities quality of life. * the public spaces protection order allows councils to stop people committing anti-social behaviour in a particular public place. * the closure power allows councils and police to close premises where anti-social behaviour has, or is likely to have, been committed.

The Act contains two new measures giving victims and communities a say in how anti-social behaviour is dealt with.

• The community trigger gives victims the right to request a review of their case based on a locally agreed threshold.
• The community remedy gives victims a say in the out-of-court punishment of perpetrators of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour.

Statutory guidance on the new powers is available.

7. Government announcement on the UK’s response to new psychoactive substances

On 30 October, the government announced new measures to enhance the UK’s response to the threat posed by new psychoactive substances (NPS) in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament.

The announcement follows the NPS review launched by the Minister for Crime Prevention and led by an independent expert panel earlier this year. The panel considered the latest available evidence and impact of approaches adopted in the UK and other countries on NPS supply, demand and treatment. The panel’s report and the government’s response to its recommendations were published on 30 October.

The panel makes 31 recommendations, including introducing bespoke and innovative legislation to complement the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and building on existing work in health, prevention and education as well as early warning systems. Legislative proposals will be tested and developed in consultation with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

New guidance for local authorities to disrupt the supply of nitrous oxide has now also been published, and you can get more information on these publications and drugs policy by emailing the Drugs and Alcohol Unit.

8. Home Office publishes report on drugs policies around the world

Alongside the outcomes of the review on New Psychoactive Substances, the Home Office published a report on approaches to drug misuse and addiction in other countries. The report concludes an 18-month study of international comparators in drugs policy, announced by the government in March 2013.

As part of the study ministers and officials visited nine countries to see how governments and service providers are responding to the evolving challenges that drugs present, from countries like Portugal and the Czech Republic which have decriminalised possession, to Sweden and Japan which enforce tough ‘zero-tolerance’ laws.

The report looks at a range of policies, including new forms of treatment and harm reduction, alternative approaches to drug-related crime, cannabis legalisation, and decriminalisation of drug possession. It considers the international evidence for the effectiveness of each approach, explores the differing social and political circumstances that have led other countries to adopt them, and reflects on policy and operational responses to drugs in this country. The report also includes an assessment of the drugs situation in the UK.

9. Notice of a change in law affecting Registered Firearms Dealers

On 31 December 2014 the Firearms Act 1968 will be amended to implement article 4 of the EU Weapons Directive 2008/51. From this date, registered firearms dealers will be required to keep a record of their transactions on a computer data filing system for a minimum of 20 years.

Firearms dealers will only have to record the information they are currently required to under the Firearms Act and associated Rules. The only difference will be the way dealers are required to hold their records and the length of time they must hold them for. Read further information on firearms licensing.

10. New sentencing proposals emphasise seriousness of knife and gun robberies

On 21 October, the Sentencing Council published a draft guideline for how robbers should be sentenced by the courts. The guidance for judges is designed to ensure sentences are consistent and proportionate, and covers all robbery offences. It goes beyond existing guidance to now include robbery in people’s homes and professionally planned commercial robberies.

The guideline also seeks to ensure greater consideration is given to the impact of the crime on the victim when sentencing, and proposes covering psychological harm as well as physical injuries.

The Council has launched a consultation on the proposed guideline and is keen to hear the views of the police, those who work in the field of criminal justice, victims’ groups and members of the public about issues such as: * the principal factors that make any of the offences included within the draft guideline more or less serious * additional factors that should influence the sentence * the sentences that should be passed for robbery offence

The consultation closes on 23 January 2015 and you can respond via the Sentencing Council’s website.

11. Police.uk Stakeholder Consultation Survey

The Police.uk website was launched in 2011, and allows the public to see what crime is happening on their street and to be able to contact their local police if they have concerns about how issues are being dealt with. Providing this information allows the public to see how their local police are performing, and hold their local police to account.

Since its launch Police.uk has evolved into a broader service where users are able to create and share individual crime maps, compare force performance with comparator forces, and access crime prevention advice. Users can now view information on the criminal justice process, and through Track my Crime, victims will be able to receive regular updates on their case and contact officers in charge of their case.

The current Police.uk contract comes to an end in July 2015. To ensure Police.uk continues to meet its users’ needs, the Home Office is running a short survey to find out what features users would like to see.

The survey closes on 7 November and your responses will help inform the future development of Police.uk. For more information on the stakeholder consultation please contact Edward Howlin or Kayleigh Chapman.

12. 101 performance data published and marketing campaign

On 31 October, 101 performance data for 42 police forces in England and Wales was published on Police.uk. The data shows the total number of calls received by each force, the average time to answer calls, and call abandonment rates. This data will be updated on a quarterly basis, and will allow the public to see how well their local force responds to 101.

The Home Office has launched a UK-wide campaign to increase public awareness of the 101 non emergency police number. Digital advertising has already started and a promotional film has been published on the Home Office YouTube channel.

Home Office YouTube

Radio adverts are due to air in mid November, and will go out across the UK informing the public about when to use 101 as opposed to 999. Police forces are being encouraged to support the campaign using their own comms channels, local public engagement events, and local press and media opportunities. For more information on the campaign, please contact James Gilbert.

13. The Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing launched

Last month the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing was launched. It was set up with the support of the Home Office, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health to develop solutions to improve information sharing between government departments and other agencies. This work will help support the delivery of public services.

To coincide with Better Services Month, the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing is launching their “What’s the Story?” campaign. It will show how information sharing across government and in local places is improving outcomes for service users. You can find out more about the “What’s the Story” campaign and the work of the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing on its website.

14. Further powers for the Scottish Parliament

On 19 September, the Prime Minister announced that Lord Smith of Kelvin had agreed to oversee the process, through the Smith Commission, to take forward the devolution commitments on further powers for the Scottish Parliament. There is a willingness, shared by all five of Scotland’s political parties, to strengthen the powers of the Scottish Parliament within the UK.

The terms of reference for the Commission are to convene cross-party talks and facilitate an inclusive engagement process across Scotland to produce, by 30 November 2014, recommendations for further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament. This process is informed by a Command Paper, which was published on 13 October. The recommendations will deliver more financial, welfare and taxation powers, strengthening the Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom.

The Home Office has already provided the Smith Commission with an initial analysis of the proposals from the five parties regarding drugs, firearms, immigration and asylum. It is expected that the agreement on further powers will be announced as a single package towards the end of November.

15. Speeches

The Home Secretary’s speech at the Policing and Mental Health Summit

The Home Secretary’s speech at the College of Policing Conference