Correspondence

Crime and policing news update: September 2014

Published 25 September 2014

1. Best use of stop and search scheme launches

On 26 August, a voluntary scheme designed to improve how police use stop and search powers came into effect. The best use of stop and search scheme was first announced by the Home Secretary in April, and will ensure the police take a more intelligence-led approach to using these powers, and only use them when necessary.

All 43 police forces in England and Wales have signed up to the voluntary scheme, and 24 forces have already implemented the following 2 key elements:

• recording all outcomes of stop and search and whether there is a connection between the grounds for the search and the outcome, which is published on data.police.uk
• restricting the use of Section 60 “no suspicion” powers. Already used only when necessary, under this scheme a chief officer must make the decision whether to authorise the use of such powers. In cases where the chief officer anticipates serious violence, that officer must reasonably believe that violence “will” rather than “may” take place, as it stands now

By November this year, all 43 forces will have implemented all aspects of the scheme, which include:

• giving members of the public the opportunity to observe stop and search in practice
• introducing a community complaints trigger, whereby if the police receive a large volume of complaints on stop and search, they must explain to the public how stop and search powers are being used

2. Mobile phone theft ratio

The mobile phone theft ratio, which provides consumers with information on the mobile phone handsets that are most likely to be targeted by thieves, was published on 7 September. Using crime data for the period August 2012 to January 2014, the ratio shows which phones were most stolen during this period, and details the factors which make a phone more likely to be targeted by thieves. According to the data, 14 to 24 year olds and women, are the two groups who are most likely to be victims of mobile phone theft. The mobile phone theft ratio was produced by the Behavioural Insights Team in consultation with the mobile phone industry. It also highlights the success of new security features and sets out practical steps on how the public can protect their mobile phones from being stolen.

3. Home Office Joint Enterprise Training Pack and DVD – free to order

To raise awareness and understanding about the law around joint enterprise amongst young people, the Home Office has produced a powerful Joint Enterprise Training Pack and DVD. Under joint enterprise someone who assists another person or group to commit an offence – such as robbery, burglary, violent assault or murder – for example, by giving encouragement, acting as a lookout or providing a weapon, could be convicted of that same offence.

The pack is designed for teachers, youth workers, police officers, community groups and others working with 11 to 18 year olds. It covers issues such as safeguarding and girls associated with gangs. You can order the DVD and training pack free of charge from the Home Office storage and distribution centre by e-mailing homeoffice@prolog.co.uk or phoning 0870 241 4680 (Option ‘0’), and quoting the product code: Joint-Enterprise.

4. Consultation on oxycodone import policy

The Home Office has launched a public consultation on proposed amendments on licensing imports of oxycodone in the UK.

Importing oxycodone is regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, as its misuse can cause serious harm to individuals and society.

There are currently restrictions on importing oxycodone from outside the European Economic Area, as in 2009 it was considered that import for re-export poses an unacceptable risk to the UK’s access to diamorphine.

We want to hear the views of organisations which have an interest in the oxycodone import policy on the proposals set out in full in the consultation document.

Read full details, including the consultation document and how to respond. The consultation closes on 20th November.

5. Mental Health Triage Event

Health and policing partners came together on 4 September for the Home Office national mental health triage conference in London. Mike Penning, minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, and Norman Lamb, the minister for Care and Support, spoke at the event and thanked areas for all their hard work so far in this area.

The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders across England and Wales to come together to find out what other pilots and schemes were doing, share best practice and discuss the future of these services. Feedback from the workshops will feed in to work currently underway with the Home Office, Department of Health and NHS England to produce a core specification and future commissioning options for triage services.

6. Policing and mental health summit

The Home Office is working with Black Mental Health UK (BMH UK) on preparations for a policing and mental health summit. The event, which will take place on the 23 October at Central Westminster Hall, aims to:

• challenge the police and other services on their current practices related to the treatment of vulnerable people
• enable the police and other services to share good practice and develop new ideas on issues such as the identification of people with mental health issues, transportation, and the use of physical restraint
• agree further actions required by central government and national agencies to improve practice around working with vulnerable people

Representatives of service users, key national stakeholders and frontline practitioners from across the public and voluntary sector have been invited to attend.

The Home Secretary will open the event with a keynote address, with other speakers including Matilda MacAttram, Director of BMH UK and Commander Christine Jones, the national policing lead for mental health. Delegates will be able to put questions to a panel of experts, and in addition, participate in workshop sessions focussed on the key themes related to the end-to-end journey of vulnerable people in contact with the police.

7. By-election for the South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner

The police area returning officer for South Yorkshire has set 30 October as the date of a by-election to elect a new police and crime commissioner (PCC) for South Yorkshire Police. From 8 October, voters in South Yorkshire can find out who their candidates are on choosemypcc.org.uk. Residents need to be registered to be able to vote. People can either vote in person at a polling station, by post, or by proxy (allowing someone you trust to vote on your behalf). This will be under the Supplementary Vote system and the ballot paper may look different from usual.

Register to vote

8. Police and Crime Commissioners’ partnership summit

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners is hosting a summit on partnership working on 17 and 18 November in Harrogate. Voluntary sector organisations who work with police and the criminal justice sector are encouraged to attend the summit, where they will be able to share the innovative approaches to keeping local communities safe at the heart of the police’s and partners’ services. The summit also provides an opportunity for local and national partners to join police and crime commissioners and other policing governance bodies to discuss how agencies can work together to make communities safer and make the best use of resources. For more information and to register as a delegate, please visit the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ website.

9. HM Treasury on the beat

Ahead of next year’s Comprehensive Spending Review, the Home Office has arranged for HM Treasury staff to visit police forces across the country. During the visits, delegates have met with chief constables, listened in on calls in the control room, and joined officers and police community support officers on the beat. Enabling HM Treasury staff to get a better understanding of the challenges facing the police will ensure they are as well informed as possible for the Spending Review negotiations.

10. Speeches

The Home Secretary’s speech to the Reform think tank.

The Home Secretary’s speech on police reform to the Police Superintendents’ Association conference.