Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 March 2025.

The UK and France sign a roadmap to deepen cooperation on people smuggling.

The UK and France have further deepened their small boats cooperation with the signing of the Upstream Working Group Roadmap yesterday (6 March) at the Ministry of Interior.

The UK’s Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, and France’s Special Representative on Immigration for the Minister of State, Patrick Stefanini, met in Paris to agree stronger measures, focussing on stemming irregular migration flows into both France and the UK.

The signing follows the Home Secretary’s visit to the Northern French coast last week where she met with French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, to agree a series of new, stronger enforcement measures.

The Franco-British Upstream Working Group marks a significant step in ongoing efforts to combat organised immigration crime. The roadmap has 4 priority issues:

• disrupting the criminal gangs at the heart of organised immigration crime
• deterring illegal migrants from taking the dangerous journey to France and the UK
• ensuring the effective and prompt return of irregular migrants to source and transit countries
• tackling the root causes of irregular migration

The 2 co-chairs welcomed British and French joint efforts and set a date for the next Upstream Working Group plenary meeting, due to take place in May 2025.

Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, said:

When I first took on my role as Border Security Commander, one of my key priorities was to strengthen our work with partners across the world to tackle the criminal networks facilitating illegal migration to the UK.

In just a few short months, we have fundamentally enhanced our international cooperation, but it is our close cooperation with French partners that remains, as ever, the cornerstone to stopping the gangs and preventing loss of life.

Beyond France, the Border Security Command has deepened coordination with law enforcement to smash the criminal people smuggling gangs, securing vital agreements with other international partners including Germany, Western Balkan nations and Iraq.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 6 March 2025.

This International Women’s Day, the government has reiterated its commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

This International Women’s Day, as statistics show that a woman is killed on average every 3 days in the UK, the government has reiterated its commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

For the past 10 years, Jess Phillips has read the names of women suspected of being killed by men on International Women’s Day, provided by the Femicide Census. But today she read out the names for the first time from the front benches as a Home Office Minister, and reiterated that ensuring our streets and homes are safer for women is now a top government priority.

This comes as the data shows that 1 in 5 homicides are domestic homicides and that over the last decade there were:

• 898 female victims of domestic homicides
• of these, 698 victims (78%) were killed by a partner or ex-partner
• and over 9 in 10 female homicide victims were killed by a man (92%)

These are numbers that the government has committed to change.

Following the toxic influence we have seen on and offline from misogynistic figures, Minister Phillips also pledged that the government’s milestone violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy, expected to be published in the summer, will include actions specifically addressing the root causes of abuse – including underlying behaviours held by some men and boys.

Under the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, the government has already set out a number of initiatives to tackle these appalling numbers and the scourge of abuse suffered by women and girls in this country.

Work is already under way to improve the policing and criminal justice system response, relentlessly pursue dangerous perpetrators and provide enhanced support for victims, and includes:

• a cross-government approach to tackling VAWG: to deliver transformational change and ensure efforts remain coordinated and effective, we are spearheading a cross-government approach to tackling VAWG through the Safer Streets Mission Board
• Raneem’s Law: last month, domestic abuse specialists were embedded in 999 control rooms in the first five police forces under ‘Raneem’s Law’, to help improve the police response to domestic abuse – these specialists are advising on risk assessments, working with officers on the ground and ensuring that victims are referred to appropriate support services swiftly
• measures to tackle spiking: in November, the Prime Minister announced a raft of measures to tackle spiking including a new criminal offence for spiking and new spiking training for up to 10,000 staff in the night-time economy to ensure they have the skills to support victims and prevent incidents
• new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders: in November, we launched these orders in select police forces and courts and in the short time since they have launched, we have seen them being used to protect victims, including those experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour – we are going even further and onboarding an additional two sites over the next two months
• measures to protect stalking victims: in December, we announced a package of new measures to protect victims of stalking, including helping ensure victims have the right to know the identity of online stalkers and widening the use of Stalking Protection Orders which can ban stalkers from going within a certain distance of victims or force them to attend behaviour programmes

Today, the Home Office lit up in the colours of green, purple and white to mark International Women’s Day across four estates in the UK in a symbol of how crucial this priority is for Keir Starmer’s government.

For the first time, each of the 95 women’s names provided by the Femicide Census were displayed in the Home Office’s headquarters in London for staff to view.

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

Today, for the first time from the front benches as a Home Office minister, I have performed the heavy task of reading out the names of women suspected of being killed by a man over the last year, provided by the Femicide Census. The statistics show that a woman is killed in the UK on average every 3 days – a number that is unacceptably high.

Each had more of their life to live and was unfairly torn away from their loved ones, and each deserves to be recognised.

The government’s commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade is not an abstract goal – it is a top priority. From embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms to launching new domestic abuse protection orders, we are taking action. But the names on today’s list remind us we must do more, and we must do it faster.

Julie Devey, Killed Women Trustee, said:

Each and every year too many women are murdered by violent men. That has to stop and we welcome the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade and the action it is taking to stem this devastating tide.

The reading out of the names of killed women has become a sombre but important tradition – and we are pleased to see that duty move to the government front benches where it belongs. We know ministers are focussed on protecting the women we are here to fight for, and delivering justice for those whose loved ones have been cruelly snatched away.

But this must be just the beginning – we hope government will deliver urgent action to address hidden homicides so that the lives of all women are recognised in the future. We look forward to working with ministers as they work to deliver justice.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 5 March 2025.

Europeans can now apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK and will need one from 2 April 2025.

The UK government is taking the last major step in the rollout of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the millions of visitors who pass through the UK border every year. From today, eligible Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need one to travel to the UK from Wednesday 2 April 2025.

This expansion follows the successful rollout of ETAs to all eligible non-European nationals last year, which includes visitors from the USA, Canada and Australia who now need an ETA to travel. Almost 1.1 million visitors have been issued with ETAs and will benefit from smoother, easier travel to the UK for short trips in the future.

ETAs will strengthen the immigration system’s security and keep our country safe by screening people before they set foot in the UK.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said:

Securing our borders is a foundation of the UK government’s Plan for Change and by digitising the immigration system we are paving the way for a contactless UK border, ensuring visitors enjoy a seamless travel experience in the future.

Expanding ETA worldwide cements our commitment to enhance security through technology and innovation.

Applying for an ETA is quick and simple through the UK ETA app and, with the vast majority of applicants currently receiving a decision automatically in minutes, spontaneous trips to the UK should still be possible. Prospective visitors can also apply on GOV.UK if they do not have access to a smartphone.

Applicants provide their biographic and biometric details and answer questions on suitability and criminality. Once an applicant has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport.

While most applications are approved quickly, it is still recommended to allow up to 3 working days to account for the small number of cases that require additional review.

An ETA currently costs £10 and allows multiple visits to the UK of up to 6 months over a 2-year period, or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner. An ETA is not a visa, it is a digital permission to travel.

The UK government continues to work closely with the travel industry, including major airline, maritime and rail carriers, to ensure the smooth implementation of our new digital requirements.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 4 March 2025.

Today, the UK and Vietnam have signed a joint communiqué to build on joint work to tackle irregular migration.

The UK has today (4 March) signed a joint communiqué with the Government of Vietnam at the third annual UK-Vietnam Migration Dialogue, hosted in Hanoi, agreeing to build on our joint work to prevent the exploitation of irregular migrants, disrupt criminal gang operations, strengthen intelligence sharing and return those with no right to be in the UK.

The joint communiqué includes a series of commitments to further co-operation.

Preventing and responding to Vietnamese nationals migrating to the UK irregularly through:

a) targeted deterrence communications

b) raising awareness of legal routes

c) working together to tackle human trafficking

Strengthening co-operation in law enforcement, especially immigration crimes, through:

a) increasing operational law enforcement co-operation

b) co-operating with transit countries

c) sharing information on human trafficking

d) disrupting criminal gangs

Returning Vietnamese nationals with no legal right to be in the UK to Vietnam through:

a) expediting issuance of travel documents

b) exploring further ways to improve returns co-operation

c) holding regular returns working groups

The UK and Government of Vietnam reaffirmed the strong bilateral partnership and agreed to ensure progress on the aforementioned areas at the next migration dialogue, to be hosted by the UK in 2026.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 4 March 2025.

Digital advertising launched today in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) as part of the government’s international campaign to warn prospective migrants about people smugglers’ lies, expanding on the campaigns in Vietnam and Albania.

Quotes from real migrants who have attempted the journey are featured, to counter the myths and misinformation peddled by criminals to dupe people online, as the UK government secures its borders as part of the Plan for Change.

The campaign forms part of this government’s work to expand the UK’s international partnerships and boost cooperation, to dismantle the people smuggling gangs operating across borders and protect vulnerable people, delivered through the Border Security Command.

It comes as the UK is set to sign a joint communiqué today (4 March 2025) with the Vietnamese government at the third annual UK-Vietnam Migration Dialogue, hosted in Hanoi, agreeing to build on our joint work to prevent the exploitation of irregular migrants, disrupt criminal gang operations, strengthen intelligence sharing and return those with no right to be in the UK.

The communiqué includes commitments to enable swifter and more effective returns, and for the UK government to continue its communications campaign in Vietnam to tackle migrant smugglers’ lies.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said:

Ruthless criminal gangs spread dangerous lies on social media to exploit people for money, and we are exposing them using the real stories of their victims.

This campaign helps to break the business model of these criminals and protect people from falling victim, securing our borders as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

No one should be in any doubt that putting your life in the hands of a smuggler is not worth the risk. Too many people have died in the English Channel at the hands of these criminals, and we will stop at nothing to bring them to justice.

The UK’s Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, also visited Iraq and the KRI last week, to progress the world-first agreements reached between the Federal Government of Iraq and the UK Government in November and further progress our cooperation on strengthening mutual border security.

He met with senior officials in the Federal Government of Iraq and within the Kurdistan Regional Government and its agencies to discuss ongoing cooperation, including increased joint working to tackle organised immigration crime and strengthen our mutual border security co-operation.

Through the Border Security Command, the UK government is working on a whole system approach, preventing irregular migration through communications, increasing international collaboration to tackle this issue across borders, and arming law enforcement with the powers it needs.

Bold new counterterror-style powers in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is back in Parliament today for committee stage, will help bolster law enforcement to intercept and smash the people smuggling gangs earlier and faster.

This includes stronger powers to seize and search mobile phones to investigate organised immigration crime and new offences against gangs conspiring to plan crossings, selling or handling small boat parts for use in the Channel, or supplying forged identity documents for migrants attempting to come here illegally.

Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt, said:

International partnerships are an essential part of our work to stop criminal gangs operating across borders to exploit vulnerable people.

By strengthening these relationships and working closely with law enforcement partners across the world, we will bring down these gangs, break their business models, and put a stop to the misery and harm they inflict.

Communications are an important part of this work, and our international campaign is sending a clear message to prospective migrants that these criminals cannot be trusted.

The Home Office has today published a short film explaining the Border Security Command’s mission, its work to date, and its future plans.

The video features the Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, and key staff setting out the challenge the UK faces from criminal gangs determined to abuse our borders and exploit people for profit, and how the Border Security Command will defeat them and bring them to justice.

The UK’s international communications campaign will also ramp up this year to inform prospective migrants at every stage of the journey about the risks and realities of entering the UK illegally, including informing diaspora communities in the UK about the dangers their friends and families overseas face from people smugglers.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 3 March 2025.

New data shows 18 to 39 year olds account for almost 3 quarters of rental fraud reports as phase 2 of nationwide ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign launches.

Young people aged between 18 and 39 account for almost three quarters of cases of rental fraud, according to exclusive National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) data released by the Home Office today.

Rental fraudsters typically target their victims by offering access to properties that do not exist, or which are not theirs to rent, often using fake details and photos, and usually offering prices at well below market rate. To secure the property or even arrange a viewing, they will usually demand a deposit or the first month’s rent, and many individuals desperate to find a home will make the upfront payment to avoid missing out.

According to the NFIB data, the resulting fraud losses amounted to nearly £9 million across around 5,000 reported cases last year. The 18 to 29 age group accounted for 48% of all reported rental fraud cases in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland last year, with the 30 to 39 age group accounting for 25%.

With many students and young workers using the spring months to search for new rented accommodation, Home Office ministers are urging renters to avoid rushing into a quick decision or paying over any money for a property before they have viewed it in person.

And with rental fraud often taking place through properties advertised on social media websites, the government is also renewing its calls for tech companies to go further and faster to tackle fraud on their platforms ahead of convening the next Joint Fraud Taskforce meeting later this month.

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

Rental fraud is an utterly shameful crime, and this new data should serve as a stark reminder that anyone can be a victim. It doesn’t matter how streetwise and tech-savvy you are, fraudsters will get to anyone who doesn’t stop and think before handing over their money.

That’s why I am determined to root out fraud from our society, crack down on the callous criminals behind it, and ensure that stronger protections are put in place by the tech companies on whose platforms much of this fraud takes place.

The Home Office will be making progress on all of those issues through the next phase of our Stop! Think Fraud campaign, and the new, expanded fraud strategy we are developing this year as part of this government’s Plan for Change.

Oliver Shaw, Commander for Fraud and Cybercrime, City of London Police, said:

Young people are disproportionally targeted by criminals whilst they look for new accommodation or housing opportunities. This can result not only in a devastating financial loss but can also lead to a negative impact on their mental health. The data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau highlights clearly how much of a critical issue this is in affecting 18 to 29 year olds.

That’s why we, as the national lead force for fraud, continue to support the Stop! Think Fraud campaign’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of this vital issue. And we continue to work to highlight emerging cybercrime and fraud types that could be a threat, understanding the importance of reporting, and advocating ways the public can prevent themselves from becoming victims of fraud.

The new figures are published on the same day as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – part of GCHQ – launches the second phase of a nationwide campaign encouraging individuals and small businesses to set-up 2-step verification (2SV) on their most important accounts.

2SV adds an extra layer of security, making it much harder for attackers to access your accounts even if your password is compromised.

NCSC Chief Operating Officer Felicity Oswald said:

 Online fraudsters are constantly finding new ways to trick you into sharing personal information or money, but thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself.

Today, we’re launching a nationwide campaign urging everyone to strengthen their security by enabling 2SV, which adds an extra layer of protection to keep your accounts safe.

Toughen up your online security by enabling 2SV today – usually found in the security settings of your accounts – and keep the fraudsters out.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 28 February 2025.

UK and French Interior Minister launch new police and enforcement plans including state of the art surveillance technology to disrupt smuggling gangs in France.

New measures to tackle people-smuggling gangs have been agreed by the UK and France, with over £7 million of existing funds redirected towards a stronger law enforcement response on migrant channel crossings, as ⁠Yvette Cooper meets with French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, the first Home Secretary visit to Northern France in almost 5 years.

As part of the ongoing Sandhurst agreement and new joint working between the 2 governments, the ministers have agreed a series of new, stronger enforcement plans from spring, including:

• a new specialist intelligence and judicial police unit in Dunkirk to speed up the arrest and prosecution of people-smugglers
• a new Compagnie de Marche of specialist enforcement officers, similar to the arrangements that were put in place during the Paris Olympics which reduced crossings, supported by increased local policing
• training additional drone pilots to increase operations and intercept planned boats before they reach the sea

The Home Secretary and her French counterpart met in Calais on 27 February to agree new law enforcement action as part of their renewed partnership on tackling small boat crossings in the English Channel.

This builds on renewed efforts to tackle people smuggling from the two countries, which has seen the UK set up the new Border Security Command led by former Police Chief Martin Hewitt, and the French government appoint a new Special Representative on Migration, Patrick Stefanini.

More than €1.3 million in reallocated funds will provide 12 specialist intelligence officers as part of the judicial police unit, the Groupe d’Appui Operationnel, stationed in Dunkirk.

This highly specialised unit will focus on disrupting organised immigration crime activity and the flow of small boats equipment, with dual powers to investigate and prosecute people-smugglers, enabling more convictions at a faster rate and ensuring that those responsible face justice.

Another €2.67 million has been reallocated to mobilise a new policing unit, the Compagnie de Marche. Taking inspiration from the operational response during the Paris Olympics, the unit’s officers have elite public order powers to address increases in violence on French beaches. This will enable more dynamic patrols of the shoreline to apprehend smugglers, intercept crossings and prevent loss of life in the channel.

Additional French reservist officers have been deployed along the coastline since 1 January 2025, showing better co-operation and use of resource between UK and France under the Sandhurst Agreement, which was signed in 2018. In addition, the French Interior Minister has announced police and enforcement presence on transport routes towards the French coast, and €3,980,000 has been reallocated to further increase the number of deployed reservists.

As the Home Secretary has made clear, and as this new funding approach demonstrates, the UK government is determined to increase cooperation to go after the criminal gangs who are undermining border security and putting countless lives at risk.

While visiting Calais and Le Touquet, the first Home Secretary to do so since 2020, Yvette Cooper met with law enforcement officers and local officials to thank them for their work to prevent boat crossings and to deal with the growing disgraceful violence from criminal gangs against police officers along the coast.

As part of these enhanced measures, €326,500 funding will also be reallocated to supplying crucial safety of life at sea (SOLAS) equipment including surveillance cameras, drones and life jackets.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Criminal smuggler gangs are running an appalling and dangerous trade in people – undermining UK and French border security, causing huge damage and putting lives at risk. The gangs operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to operate across borders too. That is why our joint work with France is so important and we are strengthening our cooperation, with new specialist enforcement teams to go after these dangerous gangs.

These criminal networks operate right across Europe and beyond, and we are determined to increase our joint action working with other countries to stop the gangs and boats before they reach the French coast

I am grateful to my friend and colleague Minister Bruno Retailleau for the close cooperation between our teams and for his continued support and leadership in tackling organised immigration crime. The violence from criminal gangs against French police along the coast is a total disgrace, and I want to thank the French police and authorities for the work they are doing to respond to that violence, to prevent boat crossings and to save lives.

Between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, both illegal working visits and arrests have soared by around 38% compared to the same 12 months prior. During the same period, the Home Office issued a total of 1,090 civil penalty notices to those employing illegal workers. Employers could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker if found liable.

In addition, nearly 19,000 foreign criminals and people with no right to be in the UK have now been removed since the government took office.

This renewed co-operation comes amid the introduction of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill under the government’s Plan for Change, which creates a framework of new, enhanced powers and offences to improve UK border security and to strengthen the asylum and immigration system.

It also comes ahead of the government’s Border Security Summit, due to take place in London on 31 March and 1 April, to which France and over 40 other countries are invited to discuss solutions to organised immigration crime.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 28 February 2025.

In one of the biggest legislative updates to policing for decades, a package of new laws will tackle antisocial behaviour, shop theft and street crime.

The Crime and Policing Bill, which is central to the government’s Plan for Change and Safer Streets mission, will be introduced in Parliament today and begins its journey to becoming law.

It will also include measures to address the highest-harm crimes impacting society, such as knife crime, violence against women and girls, cybercrime, child sexual abuse, and terrorism.

In new measures announced today, police will be given enhanced powers against theft of mobile phones – no longer needing a warrant to search properties where stolen items have been electronically geolocated.

Under the new warrantless powers of entry, officers will be able to enter premises identified by electronic mapping if stolen items are believed to be there and it is not practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This can be done through a ‘find my phone’ app, wifi access points, Bluetooth, mobile network technology or tracking devices attached to any other possession or vehicle.

It will support the police to act swiftly in the ‘golden hour’ of investigations, which is particularly crucial for investigations into theft, helping to provide swifter seizures of stolen property and providing a better service to victims.

Sitting at the heart of the government’s Safer Streets mission and Plan for Change, the new bill will help tackle the crimes that matter most to communities but have been ignored for too long. The new laws will be backed up by the recruitment of 13,000 extra neighbourhood policing roles, with a named officer in every community.

On the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

This flagship Crime and Policing Bill is at the heart of our mission for safer streets and this government’s Plan for Change.

For too long communities have had to put up with rising town centre and street crime, and persistent antisocial behaviour, while neighbourhood police have been cut. And for years too little has been done to tackle the most serious violence of all including knife crime and violence against women and children.

That is why the new Crime and Policing Bill is about taking back our streets and town centres, restoring respect for law and order, and giving the police and local communities the support and tools they need to tackle local crime.

On the new warrantless powers of entry, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

For the last few years, our towns and cities have seen street theft shoot up, as organised gangs have been targeting mobile phones.

But it is extremely frustrating for victims when they can see exactly where their stolen phone has gone but nothing is done.

That is why we are determined to give the police the powers they need to move fast to crack down on these crimes that are blighting our communities.

It places significant focus on protecting high streets. The effective immunity for shop theft of goods below £200 will be scrapped and retail workers will be better protected from assault.

There will also be increased powers to crack down on repeat antisocial behaviour offenders, with new respect orders banning those prolific offenders from our town centres.

Police will be given the power to seize vehicles that cause havoc to communities, allowing them to deal with the scourge of off-road bikes in public parks and dangerous e-scooters on pavements.

The bill will treat violence against women and girls (VAWG) as the national emergency it truly is, ensuring tougher enforcement action against perpetrators and better protection for victims. It will strengthen stalking protection orders, introduce a new criminal offence covering spiking and bar registered sex offenders from changing their name where they continue to pose a threat.

Implementing a flagship recommendation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the bill will create a new duty to report child sexual abuse, backed up by criminal sanctions for those who seek to cover up abuse.

To help rebuild confidence in police, chief constables will be enabled to remove officers who are unfit to serve by allowing them the right to appeal the result of misconduct boards to the Police Appeals Tribunal.

In the year ending September 2024, police recorded one million incidents of antisocial behaviour. In the same period, they recorded over 490,000 shop theft offences, an increase of 23 percent over the previous 12 month period. Instances of theft from a person increased by 22 percent, while there were also over 55,000 recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.

Other measures that have already been announced by the government, such as the presumption of anonymity for firearms officers facing criminal proceedings relating to the use of lethal force in the line of duty, will be introduced later in the parliamentary process. This also includes Ronan’s Law clamping down on the online sales of knives, announced last week.

Clare Sumner, Chief Policy and Social Impact Officer at the Premier League said:

The Premier League welcomes the government’s commitment to making communities safer for all through the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill. The Premier League and our clubs – together with our partners across the game – are committed to using the power of football to provide positive opportunities for young people.

Launched in 2006 with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police, Premier League Kicks is one of our flagship programmes delivered by 93 professional football club charities across the country to support young people in high-need areas. The programme provides free, weekly football sessions in safe environments offering mentoring, personal development opportunities and positive pathways for young people.

Asda Chief Commercial Officer (Non-food and Retail), Liz Evans, said:

The Crime and Policing Bill is a major step forward, which builds on the measures that this government has already introduced to deliver the Safer Streets mission. Recent interventions, like the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will help us to directly tackle 2 significant challenges that we are facing as a business – incidences of assault and shoplifting are daily challenges across our estate, which have a devastating impact on colleagues and customers.

More police working in our communities will have a positive impact as we continue to mitigate those challenges. That is why we warmly welcome this bill and recognise it as a key milestone in combatting retail crime and antisocial behaviour. As I have said before, Asda is ready to work in partnership with our new neighbourhood officers to help reduce crime and improve safety in the areas we serve.

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said:

We strongly welcome the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill, which we hope will send a clear message that shop theft and assaults on retailers will be taken seriously by both the police and the justice system.

People running and working in shops deserve to be treated with respect, and we believe this bill takes important steps toward that goal.

CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, John Hayward-Cripps, said:

Neighbourhood Watch is delighted that the government is continuing to show its commitment to neighbourhood policing. The focus on addressing and reducing the epidemic of antisocial behaviour, theft, and shoplifting that we all witness in our town centres and communities will play an important role in increasing feelings of confidence in the police, and feeling safer in our local communities.

The reduction in police funding over the last 15 years has been particularly felt in neighbourhood policing, resulting in low public confidence and crimes going unreported, due to the perception that the police do not have the resources to investigate.

The Crime and Policing Bill combined with the additional resources being introduced will enable the police to do the job they want to do, rather than only focusing on their biggest priorities, and signals the government’s commitment to improving our communities and making us all feel safer and more connected.

Dawn Dines, the CEO of Stamp Out Spiking welcomes the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill with its clear indications that government policy is addressing violent crime, antisocial behaviour, and spiking, as a matter of priority.

Increasing public confidence and the sense that people will be safer on our streets, without the fear of being attacked, together with enhanced police visibility, will go a long way to create community cohesion and confidence in Home Office strategies.

Dawn said:

The key to combatting predators of these spiking crimes, to enhance public protection and to reduce antisocial behaviour, is proactive education. A collaborative approach is essential to satisfy the needs of different communities, environments and changing trends. It is paramount for service providers to have the confidence of receiving current, concise information from key stakeholders, who deal with victims and security, in the day and nighttime economy.

Clearly the detection and prevention of crime is not only a matter for the police. It is the duty of us all, as caring, compassionate citizens, not tolerating a culture of violence where these acts can be committed.

This bill will create a positive impact on encouraging victims – especially of spiking – to come forward, to report, clearly indicating that offending is not acceptable and will have severe consequences.

The full scope of legislation at introduction includes:

Tackling antisocial behaviour by:

• giving the police and others stronger powers to tackle antisocial behaviour by introducing respect orders
• removing the need for police to issue a warning before seizing vehicles, such as off-road bikes being used antisocially
• strengthening the use of existing antisocial behaviour powers – the bill also gives ministers the power to issue statutory guidance to councils in England on the enforcement of fly-tipping

Tougher action on knife crime, including:

• creating a power to seize, retain and destroy bladed articles found on private property
• increasing the maximum penalty for sale of dangerous weapons to under-18s
• creating a new criminal offence of possessing a bladed article with the intent to cause harm

Protecting retail workers by:

• introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, giving workers in shops up and down the country the protection they need
• removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft will be taken seriously

Protecting vulnerable children and adults by:

• introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation, alongside a civil preventative order designed to stop the abhorrent exploitation of children by criminals
• making cuckooing a specific offence, protecting the most vulnerable people whose homes are used by others to commit criminal activity
• extending the current offence of exposure and creating a new child abduction offence

Tackling child sexual abuse, including implementing recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse by:

• banning artificial intelligence (AI) models optimised to produce child sexual abuse material, and extend existing law criminalising ‘paedophile manuals’ to include material instructing how to use AI to generate child sexual abuse material
• criminalising moderators and administrators of websites that host child sexual abuse material
• granting Border Force officers the power to search the digital devices of individuals arriving in the UK for child sexual abuse material
• introducing a new duty in England for adults working in relevant activities to report instances of child sexual abuse
• introducing a new statutory aggravating factor covering grooming behaviour.

Tackling violence against women and girls by:

• creating new offences criminalising the taking or recording of intimate images or videos without consent or a reasonable belief in consent
• creating a new offence capturing spiking
• empowering the police to release the identity online stalkers to victims, alongside strengthening the use of stalking protection orders whilst issuing guidance to agencies on combatting stalking

New powers to tackle serious crime, including:

• banning the possession or distribution of electronic devices used in vehicle theft
• strengthening the ability to apply corporate criminal liability to the make-up of modern corporations

Strengthening the supervision of offenders in the community by:

• reforming the ability of the police to manage registered sex offenders, including restricting their ability to change their name where there is a risk of sexual harm
• giving probation officers the power to polygraph test more serious offenders who have committed sexual or terrorism-motivated crimes

Introducing new public order and safety powers, including:

• banning the possession of fireworks, flares and other pyrotechnics at protests
• criminalising the climbing of specified war memorials, making it clear that such disrespectful behaviour is unacceptable
• banning the use of face coverings to conceal a person’s identity at protests designated by the police

Tackling fraud and economic crime by:

• prohibiting possession and supply of ‘SIM farms’ with no legitimate purpose
• reforming the confiscation powers used to strip convicted criminals of their proceeds of crime
• introducing cost protections for law enforcement agencies to protect them from the risk of adverse costs when investigating kleptocrats and high-net worth individuals and corporations

Giving police the powers they need, including:

• creating a new targeted power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize electronically tracked stolen goods, ranging from mobile phones to stolen vehicles and agricultural machinery
• expanding the lawful purposes by which law enforcement agencies can access the DVLA driver licence records

Tougher action on drugs, including:

• expanding police powers to drug test more suspects on arrest, helping direct more drug users into treatment and away from illegal drugs

Enhancing public confidence in policing by:

• reforming the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) investigative processes and giving chief officers of police the right to appeal the result of misconduct boards to the Police Appeals Tribunal
• putting the IOPC’s victims’ right of review on a statutory footing

Update counter-terrorism powers by:

• implementing recommendations of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, such as introducing youth diversion orders to divert young people away from terrorism-related activity

The press release issued by the Home Office on 28 February 2025.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis visited the United Arab Emirates to continue the 2 nations’ shared aim to tackle illicit finance and counter-terrorism financing.

The Security Minister met with Minister of State in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Ahmed bin Ali Al-Sayegh, and completed a significant visit, including meeting with the Dubai Police Commander in Chief.

These meetings marked a significant step forward in the UK and United Arab Emirate’s (UAE) ongoing shared efforts to further deliver on the UK-UAE Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows. Both parties agreed to increase judicial co-operation, and ensure the continuous alignment in their approach to illicit finance.

It reaffirmed the UK and UAE’s commitment and ambition to increase co-operation and to build a stronger, more effective partnership in the fight against illicit finance, reinforcing both nations’ roles as leaders in global efforts to tackle this threat.

Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said:

The government understands the importance of international co-operation in tracking, intercepting, and stopping the flow of illicit funds between the UK and UAE.

This partnership remains critical to our nations’ missions for countering global crimes and protecting national security, which is the foundation of our Plan for Change.

The UK and UAE have worked to target the financial infrastructures that organised crime groups heavily rely on. This includes the work of the Combined Anti-Money Laundering Operational Team (CAMLOT), a joint initiative designed to tackle money laundering operations and identify hidden financial networks tied to illicit activities.

Through this initiative, the UK and UAE have targeted criminal organisations, weakening the sophisticated financial operations used to fund crime globally.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 27 February 2025.

Published statistics show millions have accessed their eVisa, as an extension to the period expired immigration documents can be used for travel is confirmed.

Over 4 million UK visa holders have successfully created an account to access their eVisa, according to Home Office statistics published today. An estimated 600,000 people are yet to switch from their physical document to an eVisa.

Securing our borders is a key part of the government’s Plan for Change and eVisas are a key part of delivering a border and immigration system which is more digital and streamlined. This change will enhance the experience of people using the system, and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.

To support a continued smooth transition to eVisas, and ensure no one is disadvantaged, the Home Office is extending the ‘grace period’ announced in December 2024. We committed to keep this transitional measure under review and we are extending the end date from 31 March 2025 to 1 June 2025.

This allows people with a biometric residence permit (BRP) or EUSS biometric residence card (BRC) that expired on or after 31 December 2024, and who continue to hold underlying immigration status, to continue to use their expired document for international travel up to and including 1 June 2025.

From the 2 June 2025, expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs will no longer be acceptable evidence of immigration status when travelling to the UK.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra MP said:

Today’s encouraging eVisa statistics show that a significant majority of the immigration status holders who needed to take action have done so.

We continue to listen carefully to feedback, and our confirmation that expired immigration documents can be used for travel until June this year will help to further ensure the transition to eVisas continues to be as smooth as possible.

Those yet to create an account to access their eVisa are encouraged to do so as soon as possible, to make the most of the benefits of using an eVisa and join the millions – including all EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status holders – who already have an eVisa. It is free, and straightforward for those who hold physical and paper documents to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa.

People with indefinite leave to remain (ILR, also known as settlement) who use an ink stamp or vignette in a passport to prove their rights can continue to use their documents as they do today, including for travel, but are encouraged to make the switch to an eVisa to take advantage of the benefits it brings.

We had previously estimated the number of BRP holders who need to create an account to access their eVisa at over 4 million, but this number is hard to establish accurately given the daily fluctuations in this data. This is because of people’s leave expiring, people leaving the country before their leave expires, or leave being cancelled or curtailed.

Since the first eVisa statistics publication in December 2024, we have carried out further analysis and quality assurance to enhance our understanding of who has not yet acted, though the data is presented in same format for clarity.

A number of people who created a UKVI account already had one created as part of their visa application, and therefore now have 2 UKVI accounts – although only one eVisa. This should not cause issues for those people, but it does mean that the published data includes a number of duplicate accounts. To maintain consistency, we are continuing to publish data on eVisa account creation numbers, recognising that this contains duplicates.

However, we are also clarifying our revised estimate of the numbers of immigration status holders who still need to access their eVisa, which we anticipate to be approximately 600,000 BRP holders. This number will decrease as people’s leave expires and they leave the UK.

Further information can be found in our eVisa factsheet.