Tag: Home Office

The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has today (9 November) announced the establishment of an inquiry into the death of Jalal Uddin.

Jalal Uddin, a retired Imam, was murdered in Rochdale on 18 February 2016.

Following criminal proceedings, an inquest into his death was resumed in November 2020.

In November 2022 the Coroner, His Honour Judge Teague KC, Chief Coroner of England and Wales, requested the inquest be converted to a statutory inquiry in order to permit all relevant evidence to be heard.

Judge Teague will fulfil the role of chair. The conduct and delivery of the Inquiry are a matter for the chair.

The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill was announced in the King’s Speech and will make urgent and targeted amendments to the existing act to ensure our country is kept safe and our citizens protected from harmful threats.

As technology advances and changes, so do the threats that the UK faces. Updating the act to meet modern reality will ensure our intelligence agencies can use and develop more appropriate tools and capabilities to rapidly identify intelligence insights from increasing quantities of data. This will allow them to better understand and respond to threats to the public and keep apace with evolving technology.

These amendments will enhance our national security by keeping the public safer from threats such as terrorism, hostile activity from foreign powers and serious and organised crime. The UK is a world leader in ensuring privacy can be protected without compromising security. The bill will maintain and enhance the existing high standards for safeguarding privacy in the 2016 act.

Suella Braverman, Home Secretary, said:

My priority is and always will be to keep the public safe. I am committed to ensuring that our intelligence agencies and law enforcement have all the tools to do just this.

Backed by safeguards, these reforms will play an integral part in tackling a range of dangerous threats to our country.

The targeted reforms will not create new powers in the act. They will instead modify elements of the existing legislation to ensure it is proportionate, provides agencies and oversight bodies with appropriate resilience mechanisms and maintains and enhances the existing measures. As Lord Anderson noted in his recent review of the act, the UK goes much further than its allies in respect of the current restrictions placed on the intelligence agencies’ use of bulk personal datasets.

The bill will update the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 by:

• Making changes to the bulk personal dataset regime, to improve the intelligence agencies’ ability to respond with greater agility and speed to existing and emerging threats to national security. The amendments will improve the quality and speed of analysts’ decision making, improving their ability to keep the public safe in a digital age, whilst adhering to strong, proportionate safeguards and with independent oversight.
• Enhancing the existing world leading safeguards to support the Investigatory Powers Commissioner in carrying out oversight of public authorities use of investigatory powers,
• Modifying the notices regimes to ensure the efficacy of the existing powers in the context of new technologies and the commercial structures of a modern digital economy. This includes ensuring that the law maintains exceptional lawful access where possible, to ensure the protection of public safety while also protecting the privacy of citizens and the ability of companies to develop cutting-edge technologies,
• Updating the conditions for use of Internet Connection Records to ensure that these can be used effectively to target the most serious types of criminal activity and national security threats without a corresponding increase in levels of intrusion, underpinned by a robust independent oversight regime, and
• Increasing resilience of the warranty authorisation processes to allow greater operational agility for the intelligence agencies and National Crime Agency. This will help to ensure they can always get lawful access to information in a timely way so that they can respond to the most serious national security and organised crime threats.

The heads of the UK’s intelligence agencies, Anne Keast-Butler, Director GCHQ; Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5; and Richard Moore, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, said:

The Investigatory Powers Act is fundamental to the agencies’ ability to keep the country safe while maintaining our democratic licence to operate. It provides the investigatory powers we need to detect and disrupt threats to the UK while applying world-leading safeguards consistent with the UK’s democratic values.

From hostile activity by states, to terrorists and criminal groups, all our adversaries are taking advantage of new technologies to further their aims. It is vital the UK is able to keep pace, which is why we are pleased that Parliament will debate a number of vital, targeted changes to the IPA.

With robust and innovative protections – including independent oversight by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and redress through the Investigatory Powers Tribunal – the existing act regulates how investigatory powers are used by public authorities. It makes clear the circumstances in which the various powers may be used and the strict safeguards that apply. This ensures that any interference with privacy is strictly necessary, proportionate, authorised, and accountable.

The measures being taken forward in the bill have been driven by the Home Secretary’s review and recommendations made in the independent review by Lord Anderson published in June 2023.

Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency, said:

Accessing communications data is essential for investigating the most serious crimes and protecting our national security.

As technology and the threats we face evolve in the digital world, we need to ensure the legislation remains fit for purpose to help keep the public safe.

The amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act will enhance law enforcement’s ability to tackle terrorism, state threats and serious organised crime such as child sexual exploitation, drug smuggling and fraud.

The reforms to the act will ensure the powers continue to be subject to robust independent oversight. Access to individuals’ data will happen only exceptionally, where it is necessary to prevent the most serious forms of crime, and with robust protections in place.

Tom Tugendhat, Security Minister, said:

The first duty of government is to protect the British people.

This bill will give our intelligence services the powers they need to stay on the cutting edge as they defend our country against terrorism and hostile state actors, whilst protecting and enhancing the privacy of people across the UK.

In a world first, Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) members have signed a joint statement denouncing ransomware and payments being made to cyber criminals.

Led by the UK and Singapore, members of the CRI affirmed today (2 November) that relevant funds from central government should not be used to pay a ransomware attacker – the first international statement of its kind.

It sends a clear message that the global community strongly opposes ransomware payments and is committed to disrupting organised cybercrime.

The statement was signed on the same day the UK hosted the first ever global summit on artificial intelligence at Bletchley Park and is another demonstration of the UK’s leadership on cyber and tech issues globally.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

Crime should not pay. That’s why the UK and her allies are demonstrating leadership on cybersecurity by pledging not to pay off criminals when they try and extort the taxpayer using ransomware.

This pledge is an important step forward in our efforts to disrupt highly organised and sophisticated cyber criminals, and sets a new global norm that will help disrupt their business models and deter them from targeting our country.

Ransomware criminals typically access a computer through a malicious piece of software and then often encrypt or steal data. The victim is then told that the offenders will decrypt or return the data in exchange for a large fee, paid in cryptocurrency.

The joint statement makes clear that paying a fee only serves to benefit these organised criminals and provides an incentive to continue offending. It does not guarantee the release of data or the removal of malware from an affected network.

The CRI is the only dedicated multilateral body that the UK and international partners use to develop robust and effective policies and practices to enhance the global response to ransomware.

A key ambition of the UK, and all international partners within the CRI, is to stem the flow of money to cyber criminals and build collective resilience through international cooperation and engagement.

Felicity Oswald, NCSC Chief Operating Officer, said:

Ransomware poses a significant threat to organisations in the UK and around the world and so international collaboration is essential for bearing down on cyber-criminal operations.

The joint statement today demonstrates that the UK and a likeminded community of countries do not support payment of online criminals as we know this only makes the threat landscape worse for everyone.

Many ransomware incidents can be prevented by ensuring that appropriate security measures are in place. We strongly encourage organisations to follow NCSC advice to effectively mitigate the risks and help protect themselves online.

It has been a long-standing policy that the UK government will never meet the demands of ransomware actors, and no fee has ever been paid by central government, but this is the first time the position has been publicly confirmed.

Further to this, the National Crime Agency’s Strategic Risk Assessment 2023 states that the biggest threat comes from Russian-speaking crime groups who are tolerated by, and sometimes linked to, the Russian state.

The UK’s cyber resilience, however, is among the strongest in the world and the government has taken steps to enhance the nation’s defences. This includes the NCSC’s online ransomware hub, which is accessible through their website and provides expert information and practical advice for organisations.

The UK additionally has the capability to work with international partners to target and disrupt cyber criminals.

This includes 2 comprehensive sanctions packages which were issued in unison with the United States. The sanctions targeted 18 Russian-speaking cyber criminals who were responsible for extorting at least £150 million ($180 million) from victims globally. In the UK there were 149 victims who collectively lost £27 million.

The National Crime Agency has additionally been involved in several high-profile operations which have led to the shutdown of prolific organised crime groups. This includes HIVE, which provided ransomware software to cybercriminals and extorted more than $100 million.

The statement was agreed by all countries present at the Summit. The statement, and the list of signatories, can be viewed on GOV.UK.

The CRI was created in 2021 and is chaired by the United States. Membership is voluntary.

More information on the CRI Summit.

Thank you very much to all of you for being here today.

Nothing is more important than keeping children safe. Those who would hurt children are relentless in their efforts and never stop looking for new opportunities to satisfy their depraved perversions.

So it’s vital that we stay ahead of them.

Advancements in technology have led to major, even revolutionary benefits to society.

In particular, Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful tool for good, with immense opportunity to grow the global economy, deliver better public services, and tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.

However, whilst such technologies have enabled us to enhance our livelihoods and our societies, they also pose significant risks with their misuse for criminal purposes – one of which is the sexual abuse of children.

As Home Secretary, I continue to champion efforts across the UK and internationally to bear down on the threat posed to our children.

AI presents a huge risk, but also an opportunity to tackle child sexual abuse.

This month I visited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with my counterpart at the Department for Homeland Security, Secretary Mayorkas, and saw first-hand the abhorrent material being generated right now.

In the UK, the Internet Watch Foundation is a critical partner in our efforts to eradicate child sexual abuse online. They said recently that they have begun to see AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery.

I am very grateful to the Internet Watch Foundation for your tireless efforts to ensure that the images and videos of children being abused are removed from the internet.

I’m very pleased that you have joined me as partners on this important event today.

Generative AI poses a particular risk, because it provides child sexual abusers with the capability to produce unprecedented quantities of life-like child sexual abuse imagery.

We will hear shortly in more detail about the impact that this will have on our collective ability to respond to online abuse. It will only make the internet a more dangerous place.

Now is our opportunity – which we simply must seize – to ensure that these risks do not materialise.

Only through collective joint action that harnesses our combined expertise, resources, and knowledge can we ensure that appropriate safety measures are put in place.

Later in this session, the Policing Minister will lead a discussion with leading experts and voices from across the tech industry, safety tech sector, and law enforcement.

This will explore the innovation required to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place, and how AI can also be utilised as a force for good, including in tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Inevitably, AI does not respect borders. That’s why international action and cooperation is so vital.

As a global leader in tackling child sexual abuse, the UK is uniquely placed to bring the world together to ensure that AI is built safely and securely so the huge benefits can be enjoyed by all.

With countries coming from different starting points and with different perspectives, we have to find a way to come to a shared understanding of the risks posed by AI, and the need to test and monitor them.

We also need to collaborate on safety research and highlight the shared best practice for AI developers internationally.

So I’m delighted to see so many different organisations represented here today.

This is just the start of the conversation, and the UK Government wants to continue working collaboratively with you over the next few weeks and months on these issues.

And I hope that we can speak as one voice with the joint statement we have prepared – which will send an unequivocal message that AI must be a force for good, and not a threat to children.

Thank you.

Tech giants including Tiktok, Snapchat and Stability AI have all signed a pledge vowing to tackle the despicable rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse images at an event hosted by the Home Secretary Suella Braverman today (30 October).

Charities, tech firms, academics and international government representatives all gathered to focus on how to tackle the threat of child sexual abuse material generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) after data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) showed that thousands of images depicting the worst kind of abuse could be found on the dark web and is realistic enough to be treated as real imagery under UK law.

At the event, hosted in partnership with the IWF and taking place in the lead up to the government’s AI Safety Summit, the Home Secretary addressed attendees, many of which have come together to sign a statement pledging to cooperate to mitigate the spread of AI-generated images depicting children being abused.

The government is also exploring further investment into the use of AI to combat child sexual abuse, and will continue to examine potential options for innovation to tackle the threat from AI generated child sexual abuse material.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

“Child sexual abuse images generated by AI are an online scourge. This is why tech giants must work alongside law enforcement to clamp down on their spread. The pictures are computer-generated but they often show real people – it’s depraved and damages lives.

“The pace at which these images have spread online is shocking and that’s why we have convened such a wide group of organisations to tackle this issue head-on. We cannot let this go on unchecked.”

The IWF has warned that the increased availability of this imagery not only poses a real risk to the public by normalising sexual violence against children, but some of the imagery is also based on children who have appeared in ‘real’ child sexual abuse material in the past. This means innocent survivors of traumatic abuse are being revictimized.

The surge in AI-generated images could also slow law enforcement agencies from tracking down and identifying victims of child sexual abuse, and detecting offenders and bringing them to justice.

Signatories to the joint statement, including tech giants like TikTok, Snapchat and Stability AI, have pledged to sustain “technical innovation around tackling child sexual abuse in the age of AI”. The statement affirms that AI must be developed in “a way that is for the common good of protecting children from sexual abuse across all nations”.

Statistics released by the IWF last week showed that in a single month, they investigated more than 11,000 AI images which had been shared on a dark web child abuse forum. Almost 3,000 of these images were confirmed to breach UK law – meaning they depicted child sexual abuse.

Some of the images are based on celebrities, whom AI has ‘de-aged’ and are then depicted being abused. There are even images which are based on entirely innocuous images of children posted online, which AI has been able to ‘nudify’.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said:

“We first raised the alarm about this in July. In a few short months, we have seen all our worst fears about AI realised.

“The realism of these images is astounding, and improving all the time. The majority of what we’re seeing is now so real, and so serious, it would need to be treated exactly as though it were real imagery under UK law.

“It is essential, now, we set an example and stamp out the abuse of this emerging technology before it has a chance to fully take root. It is already posing significant challenges. It is great to see the Prime Minister acknowledge the threat posed by the creation of child sexual abuse images in his speech last week following the publication of our report.

“We are delighted the government has listened to our calls to make this a top international priority ahead of the AI summit, and are grateful to the Home Secretary for convening such a powerful discussion.”

Chris Farrimond, Director of Threat Leadership at the National Crime Agency (NCA), said:

“We are starting to see realistic images and videos of child sexual abuse created using Artificial Intelligence, and an exponential growth in offenders discussing how to use it to generate images of real children.

“We know that as AI technologies mature and become more widely applied, they will create opportunities for offenders. But there will also be new opportunities for law enforcement and technology platforms to take action that protects children and aids identification of their abusers.

“That is why the NCA is bringing together international law enforcement and industry partners at the Virtual Global TaskForce in Washington next month. It is vital that all of our combined creativity, skills and resources are being utilised to protect our most vulnerable.

“We estimate that there are 680,000 to 830,000 adults in the UK (1.3% to 1.6% of the adult population) that pose some degree of sexual risk to children, which is why tackling child sexual abuse is a priority for the NCA and our policing partners. We will investigate and prosecute individuals who create, share, possess, access or view AI generated child sexual abuse material in the same way as if the image is of a real child.”

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said:

“AI is being developed at such speed that it’s vital the safety of children is considered explicitly and not as an afterthought in the wake of avoidable tragedy.

“Already we are seeing AI child abuse imagery having a horrific impact on children, traumatising and retraumatising victims who see images of their likeness being created and shared. This technology is giving offenders new ways to organise and risks enhancing their ability to groom large numbers of victims with ease.

“It was important to see child safety on the agenda today. Further international and cross-sector collaboration will be crucial to achieve safety by design.”

The government also recognises that AI can be a powerful tool for good and the Home Secretary emphasised at the event that AI also poses opportunities to improve the way we tackle child sexual abuse. Together with the police and other partners, the Home Office has developed the world-leading Child Abuse Image Database (CAID), which is already using AI to grade the severity of child sexual abuse material.

The AI tool helps police officers sort through large volumes of data at a faster pace, bringing certain images to the surface for the officer to focus on to aid investigations. This enables officers to more rapidly identify and safeguard children, as well as identify offenders. These tools also support the welfare of officers, as they reduce prolonged exposure to these images. Other tools are also in development which will use AI to safeguard children and identify perpetrators more quickly.

While the opportunities posed in this space are promising, AI is advancing much quicker than anyone could have realised.

Without appropriate safety measures that keep pace with its development, this technology still poses significant risks, and that is why the Home Secretary is placing an emphasis on working constructively with a wide range of partners to mitigate these risks and ultimately, protect the public.

This week, the UK is hosting the first ever major global AI Safety Summit at the start of November at Bletchley Park.

The summit will turbocharge global action on the safe and responsible development of frontier AI around the world – bringing together key nations, technology companies, researchers, and civil society groups.

Police should double the number of searches they make using retrospective facial recognition technology to track down known offenders by May 2024, as the Policing Minister urges forces to increase their use of this artificial intelligence (AI) crime-fighting tool.

In a letter to police chiefs, Chris Philp has set out the importance of police harnessing the benefits of innovative technologies to support them in preventing and solving crimes, as well as to keep pace with the changing nature of criminal activity.

He notes that with a concerted effort from all forces in England and Wales, it will be possible to exceed 200,000 searches of still images against the Police National Database by early summer using facial recognition technology, which will help to catch perpetrators and keep our streets safe.

The minister also encourages the police to operate live facial recognition more widely. This state-of-the-art technology captures live footage of crowds and compares it with a watch list of suspects wanted by the police, who pose harm to others. When there is a match, an alert will go out to nearby police officers. Not only does this allow police to quickly identify suspects in a dense crowd, it can also have a strong deterrent effect.

AI technology, such as facial recognition, can help the police quickly and accurately identify those wanted for serious crimes, as well as missing people. It also frees up police time and resources, meaning more officers can be out on the beat, engaging with communities and carrying out complex investigations.

Police use a range of other AI programmes to support their role in keeping the public safe, including those which help speed up the investigation of digital evidence, redaction of evidence files and tools which undertake back-office tasks, freeing up officers’ time.

Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said:

AI technology is a powerful tool for good, with huge opportunities to advance policing and cut crime. We are committed to making sure police have the systems they need to solve and prevent crimes, bring offenders to justice, and protect the public.

Facial recognition, including live facial recognition, has a sound legal basis that has been confirmed by the courts and has already enabled a large number of serious criminals to be caught, including for murder and sexual offences.

This is not about acquiring new kit and deploying new tech for the sake of it; it is about staying one step ahead of criminals; delivering smarter, more effective policing and, ultimately, making our streets safer.”

We know these technologies work in catching criminals. Craig Walters was jailed for life in 2021 after attacking a woman he followed off a bus. He was arrested within 48 hours of the incident thanks to South Wales Police using CCTV footage to identify him. A murder suspect in Coventry was apprehended after images, taken by a member of the public in a nightclub where the incident occurred, were matched to a known individual.

It is also being used to tackle shoplifting, with the Retail Crime Action Plan setting out advice for retailers on how to provide the best possible evidence for police to pursue in any case, including CCTV footage of the whole incident and an image of the shoplifter.

Live facial recognition technology has also been used successfully, including at last month’s Arsenal v Tottenham north London Derby, where police caught three wanted suspects, including one for sexual offences. Another wanted sex offender was identified at the King’s Coronation and sent back to prison the same day.

To ensure transparency with the public, the police will put up notices in areas where they will be using live facial recognition. If the system does not make a match against a watch list, a person’s data is deleted immediately and automatically. Anyone caught with the help of facial recognition and then charged, would still face trial in the normal way.

The accuracy of facial recognition technology has developed rapidly. An independent study by the National Physical Laboratory of the algorithm the Met and South Wales Police use, found that the technology was 100% accurate when used on still images and only 1 in 6,000 false alerts when used on live images. The police have not had any false alerts this year over 25 deployments.  The study also found no statistically significant differences in the performance based on gender or ethnicity at the settings the police use.

Facial recognition use is strictly governed by data protection, equality, and human rights laws, and can only be used for a policing purpose where it is necessary and proportionate. The College of Policing also sets clear guidance on when officers can use live facial recognition and requires that a person’s data is automatically deleted if the system does not match it to the watchlist of suspects.

The government has invested in and continues to build on a tool which uses AI to help officers to identify and grade child sexual abuse material more quickly. It highlights images of interest for officers to focus on to aid investigations, enabling them to more rapidly identify and safeguard children, as well as identify offenders. It also supports the improvement of police office welfare, as they reduce officers’ prolonged exposure to indecent images. This is in addition to other tools already in use, for example facial matching technology, and others in development which will use AI to safeguard children and identify perpetrators more quickly.

The government is also supporting industry innovation to tackle the threat from AI generated child sexual abuse images, recognising that criminals are also exploiting the technology. Last month, the UK and US issued a joint statement in which they committed to working together to explore the development of new solutions to fight the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery.

The Home Secretary is also convening an event on Monday which will bring together government, law enforcement and the tech industry to discuss how best to tackle child sexual abuse images which have been created using AI.

It comes as the government, whilst recognising the significant benefits of AI, is taking a leading role in ensuring we are researching and investing in appropriate safety measures. The UK is hosting the first ever major global AI Safety Summit next week at Bletchley Park, supported by the Frontier AI Taskforce which was created with £100m of initial funding to spearhead the country’s leadership in this area.

Robust laws to fight fraud, counter corruption and bolster legitimate business received Royal Assent today.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act introduces world-leading powers which will allow UK authorities to proactively target organised criminals and others seeking to abuse the UK’s open economy.

Companies House will receive enhanced abilities to verify the identities of company directors, remove fraudulent organisations from the company register and share information with criminal investigation agencies

Law enforcement agencies will benefit from greater powers to seize, freeze and recover cryptoassets, while groundbreaking legal reforms will allow the courts to dismiss spurious lawsuits which seek to stifle freedom of speech. Prosecutors will be better able to hold large corporations accountable for malpractice.

These changes will level the playing field for all businesses, ensuring the UK’s open economy remains a world class centre for businesses to grow and prosper.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

I am committed to ensuring criminals do not profit from their offending and this landmark act will help law enforcement clampdown on the tactics they use.

It will have a big impact on our ability to fight organised crime, including terrorist funding, fraud and money laundering, and that will ultimately help keep us all safe.

Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:

We’re providing Companies House with the tools to take a much harder line on criminals who take advantage of the UK’s open economy, ensuring the reputation of our businesses is not tarnished by the UK playing host to the world’s scammers.

These reforms will remove the smoke and mirrors around companies hiding behind false identities, provide further protection to the public from companies fraudulently using their addresses, and deliver better data to support business and lending decisions across the economy, enhancing the UK’s reputation as a great and safe place to do business.

Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk said:

We will not stand by while wealthy individuals abuse our courts with malicious lawsuits designed to gag reporters exposing their misconduct.

This act reinforces our unwavering commitment to protect freedom of speech, and end the brazen exploitation of our legal system by corrupt elites.

The powers given to Companies House form the biggest shakeup to the service in its 180-year history.

Once the powers come into force, the agency will take immediate steps to improve the quality of information on the company register.

Invalid registered office addresses, such as those used fraudulently to set up companies, will be removed.

Verification checks will assess the identities of people setting up and managing companies, stopping criminals hiding behind false names or registering companies with fictional characters. This will help prevent fraudulent appointments and avoid people involved in money laundering hiding behind false names.

Changes to public beneficial ownership registers will also close loopholes that allow corrupt actors to use opaque companies to move and hide money.

It will additionally provide businesses with greater clarity on who they are working with, while allowing civil society organisations to expose corrupt actors, and for the public to increase their trust in governments.

Tackling illicit finance is a global issue with 30 other countries, including Nigeria and France, having public registers of beneficial ownership. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are also implementing their own commitments.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth said:

Tackling illicit finance requires global cooperation and the UK will continue to work with our international partners to strengthen their registers of beneficial ownership, to reduce money laundering, create a level playing field for businesses and bolster national security.

Companies House Chief Executive Louise Smyth said:

These new powers are without doubt the most significant change for Companies House in our long history.

We have known for some time that UK companies have been misused by criminals to commit fraud, money laundering, and other forms of economic crime and our thoughts have always been with those affected.

We will now play a much greater role in preventing further abuse of the register. We will be taking unprecedented steps to crack down on fraudulent activities, help victims quicker and clean up the register by removing information we know to be incorrect.

This will underpin our efforts to improve the quality and reliability of our data, which will in turn hugely increase the value of the register for businesses across the UK and beyond.

The act will additionally give judges new powers to deal with strategic lawsuits against public protection, known as SLAPPS, involving economic crime.

These are court cases used by the powerful individuals to intimidate opponents. Russian oligarchs seeking to prevent public interest journalism are prominent users of such suits.

Major reforms to corporate criminal liability will also provide prosecutors with game changing powers to hold companies criminally liable for malpractice.

The creation of a criminal offence, called ‘failure to prevent fraud’, will hold a large organisation criminally liable if it benefits from a fraud that is committed by a member of staff.

An update to a legal principle known as the ‘identification doctrine’ will also ensure businesses can be held criminally liable for the actions of their senior managers who commit an economic crime.

Both changes remove the ability for a large company to hide behind complex management structures to evade scrutiny. This ensures a level playing field for all businesses and will help remove criminal money from the economy.

Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, Andrew Penhale, said:

Economic crime can have a devastating impact on individuals, businesses, and our economy.

The CPS is supportive of all reforms which helps to improve transparency and drive better corporate behaviours.

The introduction of a failure to prevent fraud offence and reform of the identification doctrine will better enable prosecutors to hold large companies to account for offences committed under their watch. It should result in greater care to prevent fraud before it happens.

Nick Ephgrave, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said:

This is the most significant boost to the Serious Fraud Office’s ability to investigate and prosecute serious economic crime in over 10 years.

This new law will help prevent crime, as big businesses can no longer turn a blind eye to fraud.

We welcome the expansion of our search powers, which will help speed up our investigations.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) will additionally gain greater powers which compel businesses to hand over information which is suspected to be used for money laundering or terrorist financing.

Unnecessary reporting by businesses will also be reduced, enabling the private sector and law enforcement to focus their existing resources on tackling high value and priority activity.

New powers will additionally allow law enforcement to target illicit cryptoassets. The NCA’s National Assessment Centre estimates that over £1 billion of illicit cash was transferred overseas using cryptoassets in 2021.

The act has introduced provisions for police and the NCA to seize cryptoassets more easily and convert them into money before a forfeiture hearing has taken place. In exceptional circumstances, there will also be a power to destroy seized cryptocurrency.

Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency said:

This act is long awaited and welcome. For too long criminals and corrupt elites have abused UK company structures to launder their illicit wealth; the new powers given to Companies House will help us tackle those who abuse our economy.

This act also gives the NCA and police greater powers to seize and recover cryptocurrencies, and we welcome the creation of a criminal offence which holds organisations criminally liable if they fail to prevent fraud by their employees.