New member of the offensive weapons homicide review oversight board appointed
Updated 29 April 2024
Applies to England and Wales
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The Home Secretary has approved the appointment of Kevin Ball as member to the offensive weapons homicide review oversight board.
This follows the announcement on 7 June 2023 of the appointment of James Vaughan QPM as the first chair and Dale Simon CBE as the first member of the board.
As introduced in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, offensive weapons homicide reviews place a requirement on the police, local authorities and public health bodies in England and Wales to work together to review the circumstances of certain homicides where the victim was aged 18 or over, and the events surrounding their death involved, or were likely to have involved, the use of an offensive weapon.
The review process has been designed to ensure that best practice and lessons are taken forward and changes implemented where needed. The aim is that these reviews will improve the national and local understanding of what causes homicide and serious violence and better equip services to prevent weapons-enabled homicides.
The government is running an 18-month pilot which was launched on 1 April 2023 in specified areas of London, West Midlands and in South Wales.
The oversight board has been established to monitor and oversee the local implementation of the reviews, to consider whether lessons learned are being acted upon, and to draw together thematic learning at a national level. The oversight board is a non-statutory committee which will be composed of experts in safeguarding, preventing homicide and serious violence and public protection.
Further members of the oversight board will be appointed in due course.
Biography
Member: Kevin Ball
Kevin Ball has over 32 years of experience working across children’s services ranging from residential childcare (local authority and charitable sectors), statutory social work and management (operational and strategic) to inspection, Government Allegations Management Adviser, NSPCC consultant, and independent consultant; having worked for a local authority, regulatory body, central government, and the NSPCC. Kevin has experience of working as a frontline practitioner through to board-level representation.
His training and background as a social worker working with children and families, and then in more recent roles has resulted in him having a solid understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of the multi-agency landscape for public protection work.