Transparency data

Responses to Safe to Share report on policing and immigration

Responses from bodies subject to recommendations and actions in the report on Liberty and Southall Black Sisters’ super-complaint on policing and immigration.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Home Office LSBS Response 1

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email policesupercomplaint@hmicfrs.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Home Office LSBS Response 2

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email policesupercomplaint@hmicfrs.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

NPCC Response to LSBS Recommendations

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email policesupercomplaint@hmicfrs.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

In December 2020 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the College of Policing (CoP) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) published a report in response to the super-complaint submitted by Liberty and Southall Black Sisters about the practice of the police sharing of victims’ information with the Home Office.

The report made recommendations for the police, the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and police and crime commissioners (or equivalents) to ensure victims of crime are always treated as victims first and foremost, regardless of their immigration status. The report also included actions for HMICFRS and the College of Policing regarding their own work. The details of these recommendations and actions are listed on pages 15 – 20 of Safe to Share?

College of Policing

The report included two actions for the College of Policing, as well as a role supporting the implementation of one of the recommendations to other bodies.

Recommendation 1.

The College was instructed to “immediately develop guidance”  to support those working in policing to fulfil ‘Recommendation 1’ – i.e. that “pending the outcome of recommendation 2, where officers only have concerns or doubts about a victim’s immigration status, we recommend that they immediately stop sharing information on domestic abuse victims with Immigration Enforcement.”

The guidance has been produced and has been published as an update to existing ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP) for policing. APP is authorised by the College of Policing as the official source of professional practice on policing. Police officers and staff are expected to have regard to APP in discharging their responsibilities.

The revised guidance is in the ‘risk factors and vulnerabilities connected with domestic abuse’ section of the ‘Major Investigation and Public Protection’ APP. It is available to view online Risk and vulnerability (college.police.uk)

Action 1.

The action was for the College to “work with interested parties to consider how domestic abuse risk assessment tools used by the police and partner organisations can include immigration status as a risk factor.”

The College has developed a revised risk assessment tool for domestic abuse, ‘DARA’, which focuses on uncovering evidence of coercive and controlling behaviour. There is evidence that the tool is more effective at eliciting disclosures of coercive and controlling behaviour. The potential use of immigration status as a way to manipulate and control would be addressed through use of the tool.

Action 2.

The action was for the College, “when updating knowledge and training products, ensure that the messaging across all relevant guidance is consistent about the need for policing to balance the needs for safeguarding a victim or witness against the national interest in investigating crime.”

This is a continuing piece of work. Every revision of College of Policing training or guidance includes consideration of the balance between the rights of all involved and the necessity to achieve the best outcomes for all.

HMICFRS

Action 3.

The action for HMICFRS was ‘ Subject to available funding from the Home Office, HMICFRS will consider whether future inspection activity and/or monitoring could review how the issues raised by this super-complaint are being addressed by forces, once they have had an opportunity to make changes in the light of this investigation’.

Subject to available funding from the Home Office, HMICFRS will review whether inspection activity and/or monitoring should be undertaken (in 2023-24) to see how issues raised in this super-complaint are being addressed by forces.

Home Office update

There are two responses from The Home Office. These responses are available as PDFs at the start of this page.

NPCC update

The NPCC has responded, this response can be found at the start of this page.

Police force and PCC responses

Police force Response
Avon and Somerset Constabulary Avon and Somerset Constabulary response
Bedfordshire Police Response received but not published by the force
Cambridgeshire Constabulary Cambridgeshire Constabulary response
Cheshire Constabulary Cheshire Constabulary response
City of London Police City of London Police response
Cleveland Police Response received but not published by the force
Cumbria Constabulary Response received but not published by the force
Derbyshire Constabulary Derbyshire Constabulary response
Devon and Cornwall Police Devon and Cornwall Police response
Dorset Police Response received but not published by the force
Durham Constabulary Durham Constabulary response
Dyfed-Powys Police Dyfed-Powys Police response
Essex Police Essex Police response
Gloucestershire Constabulary Gloucestershire Constabulary response
Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police response
Gwent Police Gwent Police response
Hampshire Constabulary Hampshire Constabulary response
Hertfordshire Constabulary Hertfordshire Constabulary response
Humberside Police Humberside Police response
Kent Police Kent Police response
Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary response
Leicestershire Police Response received but not published by the force
Lincolnshire Police Response received but not published by the force
Merseyside Police Merseyside Police response
Metropolitan Police Service Metropolitan Police Service response
Norfolk Constabulary Norfolk Constabulary response
North Wales Police North Wales Police response
North Yorkshire Police Response received but not published by the force
Northamptonshire Police Northamptonshire Police response
Northumbria Police Northumbria Police response
Nottinghamshire Police Nottinghamshire Police response
South Wales Police South Wales Police response
South Yorkshire Police South Yorkshire Police response
Staffordshire Police Staffordshire Police response
Suffolk Police Suffolk Police response
Surrey Police Surrey Police response
Sussex Police Sussex Police response
Thames Valley Police Thames Valley Police response
Warwickshire Police Warwickshire Police response
West Mercia Police West Mercia Police response
West Midlands Police Response received but not published by the force
West Yorkshire Police This force did not reply
Wiltshire Police Wiltshire Police response
PCC or equivalent Response
Avon and Somerset police and crime commissioner Avon and Somerset police and crime commissioner response
Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Cambridgeshire police and crime commissioner Cambridgeshire police and crime commissioner response
Cheshire police and crime commissioner Cheshire police and crime commissioner response
City of London police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Cleveland police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Cumbria police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Derbyshire police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner response
Dorset police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Durham police and crime commissioner Durham police and crime commissioner response
Dyfed-Powys police and crime commissioner Dyfed-Powys police and crime commissioner response
Essex police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Gloucester police and crime commissioner Gloucestershire police and crime commissioner response
Greater Manchester police and crime commissioner Greater Manchester police and crime commissioner
Gwent police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Hampshire police and crime commissioner Hampshire police and crime commissioner response
Hertfordshire police and crime commissioner Hertfordshire police and crime commissioner response
Humberside police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Kent police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Lancashire police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Leicestershire police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
Lincolnshire police and crime commissioner Lincolnshire police and crime commissioner response
Merseyside police and crime commissioner Merseyside police and crime commissioner response
Metropolitan Police Service Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime response
Norfolk police and crime commissioner Norfolk police and crime commissioner response
North Wales police and crime commissioner This PCC did not reply
North Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Response received but not published by the Commissioner
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner response
Northumbria police and crime commissioner Northumbria police and crime commissioner response
Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner response
South Wales police and crime commissioner South Wales police and crime commissioner response
South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner response
Staffordshire police and crime commissioner Staffordshire police and crime commissioner response
Suffolk police and crime commissioner Suffolk police and crime commissioner response
Surrey police and crime commissioner Surrey police and crime commissioner response
Sussex police and crime commissioner Sussex police and crime commissioner response
Thames Valley police and crime commissioner Thames Valley police and crime commissioner response
Warwickshire police and crime commissioner Warwickshire police and crime commissioner response
West Mercia police and crime commissioner West Mercia police and crime commissioner response
West Midlands police and crime commissioner West Midlands police and crime commissioner response
West Yorkshire Mayor for Policing and Crime West Yorkshire Mayor for Policing and Crime response
Wiltshire police and crime commissioner Wiltshire police and crime commissioner response

Read the full report

Safe to share? Report on Liberty and Southall Black Sisters’ super-complaint on policing and immigration status

Updates to this page

Published 16 February 2022

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