Correspondence

Crime and policing news update: January 2014

Published 30 January 2014

1. New funding to link up police and mental health services

The Home Office and Department of Health have announced that an extra £25 million will be invested in liaison and diversion (L&D) schemes to join up police and courts across England with mental health support and other services.

Under the scheme, people with mental health illnesses, learning disabilities and substance misuse problems will receive the treatment or intervention they need at the earliest possible stage. Early identification of these issues can help to drive down offending behaviour and reduce burdens on the police and criminal justice system.

10 areas across the country will trial a new model of L&D services to ensure the quality of services is consistent. The 10 areas are: Merseyside; Avon and Wiltshire; Leicester; Sussex; Dorset; Sunderland and Middlesbrough; Coventry; South Essex; Wakefield and North East London. These trials will be evaluated and if successful, extended to the rest of the country by 2017.

For further information please contact Richard Jolley or Sarah Taylor.

2. Transforming youth custody

On Friday 17 January, the Ministry of Justice published the response to its consultation ‘Transforming Youth Custody: Putting education at the heart of detention’.

The 3 main areas where changes will be made are: building a secure college pathfinder, increasing the number of hours education received in young offender institutions, and improving resettlement for young people leaving custody. The changes are designed to support young people who are sentenced to custody to establish crime-free lives.

3. New restorative justice standards launched

On Wednesday 29 January, the UK’s first national standards and quality mark for restorative services were launched by the Restorative Justice Council (RJC).

The new standards and Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM) have been designed to give those involved in the restorative justice process confidence that effective practice is taking place. The RSQM, which is backed by the Ministry of Justice, requires organisations to show that they are consistently meeting six service standards.

At the end of last year, the government made £29 million available to police and crime commissioners and charities to help deliver restorative justice for victims over the next three years.

4. Lord Ferrers Award nominations open

Nominations for the Lord Ferrers Awards 2014 are now open. These awards recognise outstanding contributions to volunteering in policing, and are open to all special constables and police support volunteers in England and Wales, including those in the British Transport Police.

This year it is even easier to nominate volunteers who are able to demonstrate a positive and inspiring contribution to volunteering in policing and to their local community. For the first time, members of the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme can be nominated for the Employer-Supported Policing award. This category recognises the joint efforts of volunteers and their employers.

All nominees will need to demonstrate a significant contribution to a high quality piece of police work that has had a measureable and sustainable impact. Full details of the awards, including guidelines and nomination forms can be found on GOV.UK. Nominations close on 8 April 2014.

5. Be Cyber Streetwise campaign

The Be Cyber Streetwise campaign launched on 13 January and aims to educate people about how to avoid falling victim to cyber crime.

The campaign, which is part of the government’s National Cyber Security programme, encourages consumers and small businesses to visit the Cyber Streetwise website, where they will learn the benefits of adopting online security measures, and find resources where they can get help and advice.

With 94 per cent of the population using the internet on a daily basis, online crime is a growing problem. The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) estimates that 80 per cent of all cyber crime could be prevented if people adopted basic online security measures, which would save the UK between £77-85 million over the next two years. This is backed up by research, which suggests that online security is rarely a consideration for individuals and small businesses.

Since the campaign launched, private firms, government departments and police forces around the country have added their support to the campaign. If you would like to support the campaign, or receive further information, please contact Leigh Summers.

6. Evidence Based Decision Support service launches

On Tuesday 21 January, a new Home Office initiative to support the police to secure value for money in IT procurement and business solutions was launched.

The Evidence Based Decision Support (EBDS) service allows customers to work directly with expert industry project teams, ensuring the most appropriate technology and business solutions are identified whilst delivering best value for money.

You can find further information about EBDS here. If you’re in the police and would like to find out how the service could help you, please contact Julian Trill.

7. Opt-out of EU proposals on legal highs

In September 2013, the European Commission set out proposals which are designed to strengthen the European Union’s ability to respond to legal highs (also called new psychoactive substances (or NPS)). The government has decided to opt out of these proposals, as UK legislation for tackling NPS is tougher than that of most other countries.

The government supports the information sharing element of these proposals. However, these measures as they are currently drafted, would hinder the UK’s ability to control NPS. A number of other EU member states share these concerns, and we are working closely with them to negotiate effectively at the Horizontal Drugs Group in Brussels to shape the Commission’s proposals.

8. Speeches

Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green’s speech to the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.