Tag: 2025

The press release issued by the Home Office on 22 February 2025.

Two new offences in the government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill will make child criminal exploitation and ‘cuckooing’ illegal.

Children and vulnerable people who are exploited by gangs for criminal purposes will receive greater protection, with two new criminal offences set to be introduced by the government next week.

Landmark legislation will be brought forward to ban cuckooing, a highly exploitative practice where criminals seize control of a vulnerable person’s home without consent to conduct illegal activities like drug dealing.

Another new offence will be created against adults who use a child to commit criminal activity. Both of these measures will be part of the government’s landmark Crime and Policing Bill, which is set to be introduced in Parliament next week and forms a key part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Current estimates show that approximately 14,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation (CCE) in 2023 to 2024, although this is likely an underestimate as many exploited children will not be known to authorities.

However, under current legislation, only a small number of individuals have been charged for using children in criminal activity.

This standalone CCE offence will therefore look to target those adults who unscrupulously groom and exploit children into criminal activity, such as county lines drug running or organised robbery, as well as increasing the opportunities for children to be identified.

Those convicted of committing a CCE offence could face a maximum of 10 years in prison, sending a clear message that this form of child exploitation will never be tolerated.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said:

The exploitation of children and vulnerable people for criminal gain is sickening and it is vital we do everything in our power to eradicate it from our streets.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are introducing these two offences to properly punish those who prey on them, ensure victims are properly protected and prevent these often-hidden crimes from occurring in the first place.

These steps are vital in our efforts to stop the grooming and exploitation of children into criminal gangs, deliver on our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade and work towards our overall mission to make our streets safer.

The new legislation also includes the creation of new CCE prevention orders, which may be issued at the end of criminal proceedings or upon application by police.

These bespoke orders will ensure that courts can impose restrictions and requirements on individuals who pose a risk of exploiting a child for criminal purposes, such as limiting their ability to work with children, contact specific people or go to a certain area.

This will help manage the risk of offending, or reoffending, and breach of these orders (or failure to comply with any relevant notification requirements) will also be a criminal offence, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Baroness Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said:

The ruthless criminal exploitation of vulnerable children has been a brutal and lucrative business model for organised criminals for too long.

It has had tragic consequences for thousands of young lives and has devastated families and communities.

This change in the law is long overdue, very welcome, and will save lives.

Mark Russell, Chief Executive at The Children’s Society said:

This new offence is a vital step forward that we have been campaigning for over the years. A standalone crime of child criminal exploitation (CCE) will finally shift the focus onto perpetrators, not victims. For too long, adults who groom children into criminal activity – forcing them to hold drugs or launder money or commit theft – have evaded accountability. Charges such as drug possession ignore the core truth; these are child abusers exploiting vulnerable young people.

To protect the 14,500 children identified at risk last year – and the thousands more unseen – these measures must be backed by three pillars; strong enforcement, training for safeguarding professionals and a statutory definition of CCE to help end the postcode lottery in victim support.

This is how we break cycles of harm: punish the exploiters, prioritise the victims, and put child safety first.

In further measures to better protect vulnerable people, a new offence making cuckooing illegal will also be introduced.

Dame Rachel de Souza, The Children’s Commissioner, said:

As Children’s Commissioner, I know the criminal exploitation of children is a complex type of abuse that causes harm to victims in a way that has for too long been undercounted and poorly understood.

Many children targeted by adult criminals themselves face punishment instead of support. Like too many child victims, they are often ignored and overlooked. Their voices and experiences must be listened to, if we are to create a child-centric justice system that puts safeguarding at its heart.

Introducing this new offence and new prevention orders will help create that much needed clarity that exploited children are victims. I hope this will enable professionals to intervene at far earlier stages of intervention, backed by plans to create a unique identifying number for every child that helps services identify those in need of support.

These measures will be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill alongside the new CCE offence.

It is commonly associated with drug supply, serious violence and antisocial behaviour, seeing people often with disabilities or those with substance misuse issues targeted by criminals for their own personal gain.

The introduction of this new offence will target individuals who take over the homes of vulnerable people for criminal purposes and punish them for the harm caused. It will carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 21 February 2025.

Raneem’s Law has launched to embed the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms across five forces and ensure victims receive specialist support.

Delivering on a manifesto commitment, today (Friday 21 February), Raneem’s Law has been launched to embed the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms across five forces to ensure that victims of domestic abuse receive more specialist support.

West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside Police are all pioneering this new approach to improve the police response to victims of domestic abuse.

This is part of the government’s mission – underpinned by our Plan for Change – to better protect victims, pursue perpetrators and halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

These domestic abuse specialists will ensure that calls for help are properly assessed, managed and responded to. Specifically, their duties can include:

• providing advice to officers responding to incidents on the ground
• reviewing incoming domestic abuse cases and their risk assessments
• listening in to live calls and providing feedback to call handlers on victim engagement
• facilitating training sessions on domestic abuse for force control room staff
• ensuring victims are referred to specialist support services
• using expertise and understanding to manually check over the decisions made by 999 call handlers and identifying any missed opportunities to safeguard victims
• supporting the use of innovative technology such as responding to victims via videocall

The government will work closely with these first forces to gain insight and understanding into how this new approach is working, to inform a national roll-out across all 43 forces and new statutory guidance for Raneem’s Law as soon as possible.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Every 30 seconds, someone calls the police about domestic abuse – over 100 people every hour seeking urgent help.

That’s why we are determined to overhaul the police emergency response to domestic abuse, making sure that victims get the specialist support and protection they need. That must be Raneem and Khaola’s legacy.

West Midlands has been determined to learn the lessons from the way Raneem and her mother were so badly failed and it is welcome that they, Bedfordshire, Humberside, Northumbria and Northamptonshire are all pioneering this ambitious approach to deliver the best possible response to victims at the worst time of their lives.

We need to change the future for others, where we couldn’t for Raneem, as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

For too long, crimes disproportionately impacting women and girls have not been met with the specialist response they require.

Domestic abuse affects more than 2 million people every year, with the police receiving a call about it every 30 seconds on average. Yet only 1 in 5 victims are estimated to report incidents to the police.

Raneem’s Law was established in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in August 2018. There were 13 reports made to the police about concerns for Raneem’s safety, but no arrests were made. On the night she was killed, she rang 999 four times but the police did not respond in time.

To deliver a step-change in approach to tackling this appalling crime, the government are providing £2.2 million to fund the first stages of Raneem’s Law over the next financial year.

Nour Norris, lead campaigner, aunt and sister of Raneem Oudeh and Khaola Saleem, said:

Raneem called for help, and today, the system finally answered.

I can’t express enough how deeply emotional and significant this moment is. After six relentless years of campaigning for justice, I am returning to the force that failed my sister, Khaola, and my niece, Raneem. West Midlands Police had the chance to save them. Raneem called 999, desperate for help, but the system did not listen. It did not act. And because of that failure, we lost them.

I refuse to point fingers or place blame. I believed in change, and I believed in people wanting that to happen. Working alongside the government and the police, especially West Midlands Police has been a journey of change. Raneem’s Law is now being implemented, and with it, a fundamental shift in how victims of domestic abuse are supported.

Raneem deserved the help she needed, my sister, Khaola, who broke my heart because she was caught in all of this, deserved to live around her children. This is not just about saving lives; it is also about ensuring that victims who survive have the chance to truly live, free from fear and harm. They deserve safety, dignity, and a future.

This moment proves that change only happens when we refuse to accept failure. We cannot wait for another tragedy. We must build the safeguards that should have been there all along. And while nothing will bring Khaola and Raneem back, their voices, struggles, and sacrifices have led to a law that will save lives. Their legacy will live forever.

Because the scale of violence against women and girls is a national emergency, earlier this month we announced a new intelligence-led national policing centre for England and Wales. Backed by £13 million, the centre will bring together around 100 officers to focus on tackling crimes such as domestic abuse, stalking, rape and sexual offences and ensure that victims are protected.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said:

Raneem’s death showed us the devastating cost of missed opportunities.

Behind every 999 call is someone’s daughter, mother, sister or friend in fear. That’s why getting the response right the first time, every time, is absolutely crucial. Embedding specialism and expertise into 999 control rooms will ensure that when victims make that brave call for help, they get the expert response they need.

Working alongside Nour has shown me the true meaning of courage and determination. Her fight for Raneem’s Law, to change things for victims of domestic abuse before it is too late, will save lives. We are determined to halve violence against women and girls in a decade and won’t stop until every victim, up and down the country, gets the protection they deserve.

Under our Plan for Change, we are taking the serious action needed to drive change across the country. Launching Raneem’s Law is another part of our effort to ensure that government and law enforcement can effectively tackle these unacceptable crimes.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Domestic Abuse, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said:

When a victim reports domestic abuse, they must have confidence that they will be protected from harm, which is why it’s so important that we get our response right from the moment we are called.

Forces work hard every day to ensure victims receive the right response and support, and embedding expertise and victim advocacy at the earliest opportunity is vital.

It’s important that we are both evidence and victim-led in our approach, and I would like to thank the victims and survivors, families and support organisations that continue to work with us to improve policing’s response to domestic abuse.