Correspondence

Crime, policing and fire news update: December 2016

Published 8 December 2016

1. Home Secretary hosts forum to end FGM

This government is taking world-leading action to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM), and to co-ordinate efforts to end FGM at home and abroad. The Home Secretary hosted the ‘Ending FGM: a forum to make a difference’ on 1 December. The forum shared success stories and ideas for best practice, as well as the vital work being done by government agencies and international organisations to end FGM overseas.

Government ministers, frontline professionals, charities, campaigners and survivors attended the event, where they discussed how the government and other agencies can better engage with communities to encourage them to turn their back on this violent, abusive practice. Attendees also heard from survivors, who recounted their personal experiences of FGM, the impact it has had on their lives and how they have attempted to move on and campaign against the practice.

The event follows the Girl Summit 2014 which saw then Home Secretary Theresa May and other government ministers, including the former International Development Secretary Justine Greening, commit to ending FGM within a generation. Since then significant progress has been made, with this government taking world-leading action, including the introduction of FGM protection orders, stronger laws around the practice, new guidance for front-line professionals and the launch of a dedicated FGM unit to lead action across government and in communities.

2. New protection for victims of ‘stranger stalking’

Stalking can affect anyone and shatters millions of lives, with as many as 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men becoming victims during their lifetimes. The Home Secretary has made clear she is determined that we do all we can to protect victims from these campaigns of abuse, and has announced her intention to introduce new Stalking Protection Orders, which will help protect victims at the earliest possible stage.

In future, when victims seek help police will be able to apply to the courts for an order to impose a Stalking Protection Order, which places restrictions on perpetrators, such as staying away from their target. They may also be subject to requirements such as attending a rehabilitation program or seeking treatment for mental health issues. Breaching the conditions will be a criminal offence with a maximum sentence of 5 years in jail. The new orders will offer additional protection at an early stage for anyone who has not been intimate relationship with their stalker, helping those targeted by strangers, acquaintances or colleagues, as well as professionals such as doctors who may be targeted by patients.

The new protection orders form part of a package of government action announced during the 16 days of action following the 25 November International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women. The package includes measures to support all victims, boost early intervention and prevent offending. A new £15 million fund will boost local provision of violence against women and girls (VAWG) services to promote and embed the best local practice. A national statement of expectations has also been published which sets out requirements for local areas to ensure services put the victim at the centre and have a clear focus on perpetrators and early intervention. The VAWG service transformation fund will be open to police and crime commissioners, local authorities and health commissioners to support community-based services and promote best practice. They will be encouraged to make joint bids for funding with women’s charities and VAWG service providers to encourage a joined-up approach with a focus on early intervention as well as crisis response.

3. Home Secretary announces a licence to practice in policing at the College of Policing conference

On 30 November the Home Secretary spoke at the annual College of Policing conference. The theme of the conference was vulnerability and the Home Secretary spoke about the College’s role in introducing a licence to practise in policing which will establish a system of accreditation for officers and staff engaged in high harm areas of policing including working with the most vulnerable. It will ensure practitioners have access to the right standards, skills and education required to improve public confidence. Equally importantly, it will ensure those performing these activities are not forced to take on risk and responsibility for which they have not been provided with the correct professional development and support.

The College of Policing is keen to speak to policing partners in the development of the licence to practise and a national event will be held on Wednesday 7 December at Ryon ahead of regional events over coming months. For more information and to register as a delegate, please completed the attached form and return this to e-mail the College events team: events@college.pnn.police.uk.

The first events will take place in January and are listed below:

• Fulford Road Police Station Conference Room, York on 5 January, 1pm to 4pm
• Crawley Police Station Conference Room, Crawley on 10 January, 1pm to 4pm
• Essex Police Headquarters Conference Room on 12 January, 1pm to 4pm
• Gloucestershire Police County Police Headquarters on 17 January, 1pm to 4pm
• Lancashire Police Training Centre Conference Room on 19 January, 1pm to 4pm
• West Midlands Police Headquarters, 24 January, 1pm to 4pm

If you are interested in attending any of these dates please contact Steve.Deehan@college.pnn.police.uk.

4. Home Secretary speech on police reform to APCC and NPCC

The Home Secretary opened the National Police Chiefs Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint conference on 16 November. In a speech focused on the need for policing to grasp the opportunities of reform, she spoke about the need to nurture talent and to develop police leaders.

The Home Secretary challenged an audience of police leaders to take up the opportunity to get the best talent and more diversity into the senior ranks of policing through the direct entry programme. Under this scheme, leaders from other walks of life can bring their skills and experience to bear in the senior policing ranks. She also said more should be done to nurture existing police talent by recognising skills and experience, and by introducing a new licence to practise in some critical areas such as protecting the vulnerable.

Continuing the theme of reform, the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service spoke alongside other police and fire leaders on the current state of emergency services collaboration. The minister stressed the importance of greater collaboration between the police and other emergency services and the need for local leaders to drive the pace of reform.

5. APCC and NPCC set out a vision for policing in 2025

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have published the policing vision 2025 strategy which sets out the future for policing over the next 10 years. The vision sets out how the service needs to use technology to make it easier for the public to interact with the police, how it needs to attract and retain a confident and professional workforce, and how it needs to work with other agencies to ensure that people are kept safe. It has been developed by the APCC and the NPCC in consultation with the College of Policing, National Crime Agency, staff associations and other policing and community partners. All chief constables and PCCs have signed up to the Vision. You can read the policing vision 2025.

6. First 2 waves of successful police transformation fund bids announced

The Home Office has awarded police transformation funding to 34 forces, the College of Policing, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver projects which will help transform policing. The second wave of successful bids to the fund include: creating a joint forensics and biometrics programme to reduce the time taken to provide DNA results to forces for investigations; designing a bespoke recruitment assessment centre to help encourage a more diverse and dynamic workforce; and, establishing a National Business Crime Reduction hub that will address business crime in a more consistent way across the UK.

These projects bring the total amount invested by the police transformation fund to more than £60 million since the fund was launched in May 2016. Earlier this year, the Home Secretary announced the first wave of successful Police Transformation Fund bids. The 14 successful bids, from 10 forces and the College of Policing, include projects to support the transfer of digital crime scene images between forces, add new technology to the Child Abuse Image Database, improve procurement and collaboration, and fund a network of co-ordinators, analysts and prevention officers for the Child Sexual Abuse National Action Plan. Further information on the successful bids is available.

The police transformation fund provides extra investment to policing to continue police reform and transform policing by introducing new and more efficient technology and capabilities to help forces respond to changing crimes and threats. The Police Reform and Transformation Board, which is jointly run by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and brings together key members of the law enforcement community, will now review and prioritise the bids received from the second round of bidding, and make recommendations to the Home Secretary regarding which should be funded.

7. Reform of the Fire and Rescue Service

There have been a number of pieces focussing on driving forward the fire reform agenda. At the Fire Sector Summit, the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service addressed key decision makers and influencers from across the sector and outlined his vision for fire reform. There are 3 distinct pillars to the fire reform agenda: efficiency and collaboration, accountability and transparency and workforce reform. This will enable the fire and rescue service to maximise available resources, enhance local resilience and improve the service that it is delivering to the public.

Central to the fire reform agenda is Adrian Thomas’s independent review of conditions of service for fire and rescue staff in England which was published on 3 November. The review is a wide ranging piece of work which makes a number of recommendations across 5 broad themes:

• the working environment
• documented conditions of service
• industrial relations
• retained duty system
• management

The review makes 45 recommendations, the majority of which are for the fire and rescue service to deliver. However, the Home Office’s ambitious fire reform agenda will address many of the other recommendations, for example, the planned introduction of a fire inspectorate, professional standards and enabling police and crime commissioners to take responsibility for fire.

8. Fire Kills campaign

The Fire Kills campaign seeks to prevent deaths from fire by reminding the public to test their smoke alarms regularly every month. The latest campaign launched in November and social media activity on the Fire Kills Facebook page and Twitter feed will run until the end of March 2017. To support partners promote the campaign through their channels, we have produced a campaign pack which has some example tweets and examples of the posters which you can use. You can support the campaign by liking the Fire Kills Facebook page and following us on Twitter and sharing our social media posts. For a copy of the pack and digital assets, or more information about the campaign, please e-mail: FireKills@homeoffice.gov.uk.

9. Home Secretary strengthens police response to modern slavery

The Modern Slavery Act gives law enforcement the tools to fight modern slavery, ensure perpetrators can receive suitably severe punishments for these appalling crimes and enhance support and protection for victims. To further strengthen law enforcement’s response to tackling modern slavery, the Home Secretary announced that police would receive an additional £8.5 million of funding.

The funding, granted until 2018/19 following a bid to the police transformation fund, will improve the country’s enforcement response to modern slavery by providing high quality intelligence and analysis to assess the threat at a national and regional level, and an improved operational response throughout the investigative process. The national effort, led by Devon and Cornwall Police, will provide over 50 additional analysts, specialists and investigators who will assist the police in England and Wales to transform the response to this complex crime.

The £8.5 million investment is the latest government action to improve the operational response. In July, the Prime Minister announced that she will chair a Modern Slavery Taskforce that will focus on the law enforcement response, and the Home Secretary has instructed HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to carry out a detailed inspection of the police response which will begin later this year.

10. Duty to notify Home Office of victims of modern slavery

To improve identification of victims of modern slavery, under a duty in the Modern Slavery Act, public authorities are required to notify the Home Office when they encounter a potential victim of modern slavery, including human trafficking. The duty to notify applies to public authorities including the police, local authorities and the National Crime Agency. Other public authorities and non-government organisations, such frontline NHS workers and teachers are also encouraged to make a voluntary notification, in order to help build the picture of modern slavery in the UK. You can find further guidance on how to notify the Home Office of a case of suspected modern slavery, together with the National Referral Mechanism and duty to notify forms.

11. Home Secretary launches funding for groups tackling modern slavery

The Home Secretary announced the creation of a new £11 million fund which is specifically designed for organisations working to tackle modern slavery. Organisations can apply for Modern Slavery Innovation Fund money for innovative projects, which trial new approaches to tackling modern slavery in high-risk countries from which victims are trafficked.

To qualify for funding, bidders must provide evidence their scheme would drive at least one of 6 key objectives set out by the Home Office:

• improve law enforcement
• legislation and policy
• reduce vulnerability to exploitation
• aid victim support and recovery
• improve global co-ordination
• encourage responsible business and slavery-free supply chains
• enhance the evidence base

Additionally, a further £3 million will also be available to bidders in a dedicated Child Trafficking Protection Fund to be used to protect vulnerable children overseas and within the UK who have the potential to be trafficked, and to prevent those who have been exploited from going missing and becoming victims again in the future.

The £11 million investment comes from the £33.5 million of overseas aid funding the Prime Minister announced in July this year, to support the UK’s lead in the global fight against modern slavery, in recognition that it will require an international response to tackle this global crime.

12. New powers to protect victims of Modern Slavery now in force

The Modern Slavery Act gives law enforcement the tools to fight modern slavery. In August this year, new powers in the Act came into force, which allow officers from Border Force, police forces and the National Crime Agency to board and search vessels, seize evidence and arrest offenders, where it is suspected that modern slavery is taking place.

Under the powers, officers can intercept vessels with reasonable grounds, arrest offenders and rescue victims from ships in UK waters. Offenders arrested at sea for modern slavery offences now face up to life imprisonment for their crimes under the Modern Slavery Act. Victims onboard vessels will be brought to the mainland and will be able to access tailored care and support through the National Referral Mechanism, as part of the government’s national care and coordination contract administered by the Salvation Army.

13. National Crime Agency publishes ‘county lines’ report

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has published its second report on the drug distribution model known as county lines. The model typically involves an urban criminal gang travelling to smaller locations (such as a county or coastal town) to sell heroin and crack cocaine. The report highlights that police and other partners are more informed about what a county lines market looks like, which has led to increased reporting, and to safeguarding partners being better equipped to collaborate. Read the full report.

The key priority for the NCA around county lines is raising awareness of the threat to young and vulnerable people, who are often used by gangs to deliver drugs to customers and this often involves deception, intimidation, violence, debt bondage and/or grooming. To tackle this problem, the Home Office is working with a range of partners to take forward a range of actions based on the NCA’s ‘county lines’ report.

The inter-ministerial group on gangs met in October and decided that whilst progress had been made, there needed to be a focused, co-ordinated response to address this issue. The Home Office is therefore leading a 12 month programme of work through a national working group that brings together the police, NCA, and key departments and bodies that will oversee the development and delivery of a single action plan. The Minister for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism, Sarah Newton, has also written to PCCs, chief officers of police, local authority chief executives and directors of children’s services seeking their engagement and commitment to tackling county lines.

14. New partnership with the Institute of Community Safety to tackle gang violence and exploitation

As part of the government’s programme to end gang violence and exploitation, the Home Office has launched a new partnership with the Institute of Community Safety (ICS). We have provided the ICS with funding to support local areas experiencing gang related problems and threats, and this will be based on match-funding from interested local areas.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in London has also provided match-funding to ICS to undertake similar local area reviews in London boroughs. Some areas are also considering undertaking county-wide reviews in order to improve consistency and knowledge of these issues across local authority boundaries.

ICS is providing support to the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum, by sharing best practice and expertise from their local area reviews, organising telephone conferences with local practitioners, and linking into the online EGVE knowledge hub.

Please contact Simon Ford at ICS if you would be interested in undergoing a local area or county-wide review in your area: SimonFord@southend.gov.uk

15. Government awards £700,000 to tackle hate crime

The government is determined to tackle hate crime in all its forms, and has announced funding for innovative community schemes to tackle specific types of hate crime and protect places of worship. The Home Secretary and Communities Secretary announced the £700,000 funding following a meeting with faith leaders, Minister for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Counter Extremism Sarah Newton, Solicitor General Robert Buckland, hate crime charities, law enforcement leads and representatives from major social media firms to discuss ways to beat religious hate crime.

Nine community projects will receive funding between £24,000 and £50,000 for innovative schemes which will help local groups get to the heart of the issue in their area and show others what can be done to tackle hate crime. The 9 projects which have been awarded funding are:

• Eastern European Resource Centre – to support Polish and Romanian nationals dealing with hate crime incidents in London
• The REMEDI and Restorative Justice Council – a scheme to help victims of hate crime in Derby access restorative justice
• Voluntary Action Leeds – to help prevent hate crime by challenging the beliefs and attitudes that can lead to it by supporting those who work with young people with racist beliefs
• GALOP – a national project to identify, monitor and support victims to report online LGBT hate crime.
• Christianity Reaching Inner City Birmingham – to work to encourage young people to report hate crime rather than retaliating
• Stop Hate UK project in Cardiff – to enable young transgender people to come together, create their own online narratives and support mechanisms to reduce social isolation and challenge the attitudes which contribute to hate crime
• Blackburn Youth Zone – to use the concept of a Citizens Jury to engage local residents in addressing hate crime
• Open College Network – working with young people in Young Offender Institutions and Pupil Referral Units in Liverpool and the North West to educate them on hate crime, increase empathy and reduce reoffending
• Carlisle Mencap – to develop a hate crime resource accessible to and developed by people with learning disabilities which explains what disability hate crime is, how to recognise it and where to go for help and support

An additional £405,000 has been awarded to 59 places of worship, including 45 churches, 12 mosques, one Hindu temple and one gurdwara, to help pay for security measures such as CCTV or protective fencing.

The funding is the first to be granted from the £900,000 community demonstration project scheme and the £2.4 million fund for protective security at places of worship, both launched by the Home Secretary alongside the government’s hate crime action plan in July.

16. New legislation to attack criminal finances

The government has introduced new legislation which will give law enforcement agencies new powers to tackle money laundering and corruption, recover the proceeds of crime and counter terrorist financing. The Criminal Finances Bill is part of a wider package of measures aimed at strengthening the government’s response to money laundering and improving the amount of criminal assets confiscated by the state, and will also strengthen the partnership between the public and private sectors, boosting the fight against illegal activity.

Key measures within the legislation include:

• unexplained wealth orders, which will require an individual suspected of serious criminality to explain the origins of their wealth or face civil recovery action (law enforcement agencies will apply to the High Court for permission to put an order in place)
• the creation of seizure and forfeiture powers, enabling the forfeiture of money stored in bank accounts as well as precious metals and stones and a range of other items (There must be reasonable suspicion that the property is either the proceeds of crime, or that it is intended for use in unlawful conduct)
• a provision to allow the sharing of information, such as data on financial transactions, between regulated bodies, improving the use of public and private sector resources in combating money laundering
• the introduction of a new criminal offence for companies who fail to prevent tax evasion, sending out a clear message that anyone doing business in and with the UK must have the highest possible compliance standards
• the extension of disclosure orders to money laundering and terrorist financing cases, requiring someone suspected of having information or documents relevant to an investigation to provide it
• enhancement of the suspicious activity reports regime, providing additional powers to the National Crime Agency and extending the amount of time senior officers, primarily from law enforcement agencies, have to investigate transactions
• bolstering the law enforcement agency response to the threats from terrorist financing, helping to combat the raising or movement of terrorist funds and strengthening partnerships with the regulated sector

The bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 October, and you can read further information on the bill on gov.uk.

17. Cyber Streetwise is now Cyber Aware

The government’s anti-cyber crime programme, Cyber Streetwise, has a new name – Cyber Aware – and will unite all cyber security communications. It will be used by both government and our partners to give individuals and small businesses the consistent advice they are looking for.

We are building on the success and support harnessed with Cyber Streetwise by encouraging our partners to adopt Cyber Aware, and have produced a range of resources for partners to use. These can all be co-branded to fit with your organisation’s own communications. If you would like further information or to take a more active partnership role, please e-mail Rob Walker: robert.walker5@homeoffice.gov.uk.

18. The Surveillance Camera Commissioner publishes annual report

On 16 November, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter, published his annual report for 2015-16 in which he sets out how his work is driving up standards and compliance with legal requirements across the complex surveillance camera landscape. He also looks ahead to his work for 2016-17, including beginning work on a national surveillance camera strategy for England and Wales which is aimed at providing direction and leadership to enable system operators to understand best practice and demonstrate compliance with the principles of the surveillance camera code of practice.

19. The Surveillance Camera Commissioner seeks views on the draft surveillance camera strategy

The Surveillance Camera Commissioner has published a draft national surveillance camera strategy which will raise standards and compliance with legal obligations within the security industry. The strategy covers England and Wales, and aims to provide leadership in the surveillance camera community; help system operators understand best practice and their legal obligations (such as those contained within the Data Protection Act and the Private Security Industry Act); and, help system operators demonstrate compliance with the principles of the surveillance camera code of practice and any other associated guidance. You can read the draft strategy on the Commissioner’s website.

20. The motor industry publishes advice to help drivers secure their cars and beat the thieves

The Modern Crime Prevention Strategy sets out how the government, law enforcement, businesses and the public can work together to prevent crimes happening. The work of the Senior Steering Group on Electronic Vehicle Theft is an example of such a collaboration, bringing government, policing and industry together to develop a clearer and common understanding about electronic compromise (a term describing all methods of stealing vehicles by overcoming electronic security measures).

The steering group has focussed on:

• establishing what more can be done to tackle the crime, whether through industry approaches, targeted enforcement action or changes in the way consumers behave
• delivering a package of products that consumers, industry and policing alike can use, and develop further if need be, to mitigate the threat

As part of this work, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has published advice to help car owners avoid becoming victims of car theft. This is part of a wider SMMT campaign to inform vehicle owners of the steps they can take to secure their vehicles.

21. New legislation bans zombie knives in England and Wales

A ban on the sale, importation and manufacture of zombie knives came into effect across England and Wales on 18 August. Under new secondary legislation, the Criminal Justice Act 1988 has been amended to include zombie knives on the list of offensive weapons. Anyone caught importing or selling zombie knives now faces imprisonment of up to 6 months and/or an unlimited fine. The order banning the sale of zombie knives has been published.

The legislation aims to prevent the glamorisation of violence and take dangerous knives off our streets. Zombie knives are dangerous weapons that serve no legitimate purpose and the ease with which these weapons can be bought online, particularly by young people, pose a danger to the young people themselves and to wider society. The introduction of this ban fulfils a key commitment we made to ban these dangerous weapons in the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy and is part of a range of measures to strengthen our response to knife crime.

22. Government announces successful bids to the mental health fund

When a person is experiencing a mental health crisis they need the right care, in the right place and too often the only safe place available is a police cell. The government wants to see an end to this unacceptable situation. To address this, earlier this year the Department of Health launched a £15 million funding programme which aims to increase and improve health based places of safety and continue to reduce police cells being used as an alternative.

On 10 November, the second round of successful bids were awarded to 36 NHS trusts and partnership organisations covering police force areas. This follows the first successful bids to 15 NHS trusts and partnership organisations which was announced in August. The funding will support 88 projects across England, including new Section 136 suites, crisis cafés, triage vehicles and places of safety for children and young people.

23. Mind receives additional funding for its blue light programme

The mental health charity Mind has been awarded £1.5 million funding for its blue light programme which provides mental health support for emergency services staff and volunteers in England. The funding was announced as part of the autumn statement. Mind will use the funding to continue running the programme until March 2018, and will roll the programme out to emergency services staff in Wales early next year. The funding will also allow Mind to continue to run the Blue Light Infoline which is a confidential information and support line for emergency services staff, volunteers and their friends and family, particularly those who are worried about their own mental health or someone else’s. You can find more information about the blue light programme and how the funding will be used on Mind’s website.

24. Speeches

• Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s speech at the Jewish News BICOM policy conference on security and counter-terrorism
• The Home Secretary’s College of Policing speech on vulnerability
• Brandon Lewis’s speech on diversity in the fire service at the Asian Fire Service Association
• The Home Secretary’s speech on police reform at the APCC and NPCC Partnership Summit
• The Minister for Policing and Fire’s speech to police leaders on the benefits of emergency services collaboration at the APCC and NPCC Partnership Summit
• Baroness Shields’ speech on a global response to online child sexual exploitation at INTERPOL Specialists Group meeting
• The Home Secretary’s speech on economic crime at the Financial Conduct Authority annual crime conferenceon 10 November 2016.
• Minister for Policing and the Fire Service talks about fire reform at the Fire Protection Association Sector Summit
• Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Brandon Lewis’s speech at the Excellence in Policing Conference
• The Home Secretary’s speech at the Lord Ferrers Awards
• Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Brandon Lewis’s speech at the 2016 Chief Fire Officers Association conference
• Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Brandon Lewis’s address at the 2016 Police Superintendents Association of England & Wales conference