Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 July 2023.

UK law enforcement authorities will be able to freely transfer personal data to their counterparts in Guernsey under legislation laid in Parliament today.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 6 July 2023.

The Home Secretary, alongside the Culture Secretary, held a roundtable as Just Stop Oil disrupted matches at the Wimbledon Tennis Championship.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 6 July 2023.

Communities across England and Wales will see more police patrolling antisocial behaviour hotspots and perpetrators will face tougher, swifter consequences.

This marks the next steps in delivering the Prime Minister’s action plan to crack down on antisocial behaviour and build stronger communities.

From this week onwards, 16 police force areas, including Cleveland, Derbyshire and Northumbria, will be launching either ‘hotspot’ policing initiatives or ‘immediate justice’ schemes. These will see offenders of antisocial behaviour made to wear high-vis vests and repair damage they’ve caused to the community – for example washing police cars, cleaning up graffiti and local parks, or litter picking.

‘Immediate justice’ programmes are already underway in Sussex and Derbyshire, and aim for offenders to start work as little as 48 hours after they’ve committed a crime, so that victims know antisocial behaviour is treated seriously. The reparative activity will be up to each force or local council to decide but should be visible to the public, with the community and victims getting a say in the kind of clean-up or repairs undertaken. This will help to restore public confidence that people will be held accountable for their crimes, in turn helping to strengthen communities and build a better future.

The hotspot policing schemes will see an increase in the number of police patrols in areas with the highest rates of antisocial behaviour, with resource focused on locations where incidents are more frequent such as public transport or parks – helping to step up enforcement action and deter crimes from being committed in the first place so that people feel safer in their communities.

While these trial areas are being funded as part of the government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan announced in March, the initiatives are due to be rolled out in all areas of England and Wales from 2024.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Everyone should have the right to feel safe on their streets, confident that perpetrators will pay the price of their crimes.

That’s why tackling antisocial behaviour is a core part of my pledge to build a better future for people all across this country.

My plan to stamp it out will make sure those responsible for damaging their communities will be swiftly and visibly held to account – so that people know this issue will be treated with the urgency it deserves.

On top of this the Home Secretary is today announcing an additional £60 million – £1.4 million for every police force area in the country – to invest in crime prevention measures such as better CCTV or street lighting, or local community projects with a particular focus on driving down antisocial behaviour, preventing more burglaries and making streets safer for women and girls – in turn helping to build stronger communities. This is on top of the £120 million we have already invested in 270 projects through the fund since 2020.

The funding is the biggest pot to date from the government’s Safer Streets Fund and will be directly awarded to police and crime commissioners. There will be no need to bid competitively for the money, freeing them up to focus on listening to local concerns and delivering the projects – for example, working with civil society organisations on training to stop street sexual harassment.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

People up and down the country are sick of feeling intimidated by yobs in their communities and want to be able to feel safe walking down the street.

Antisocial behaviour is not ‘low-level’ crime and that’s why I am determined to bring it to a stop by giving police the powers and the funding to stamp it out.

There will be quick and visible consequences for individuals carrying out this behaviour before they start down the path to more serious criminality.

I want to see the new funding we’re announcing today invested into more CCTV, better street lighting or gating, to make our streets safer for all.

The government has also delivered on its manifesto commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers, with more across England and Wales than ever before, which means more resource to crack down on antisocial behaviour, solve more burglaries and prevent violent crime.

The Home Secretary visited Derbyshire Police on Tuesday, who are consulting with the community throughout this week – which also marks Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week – on what kind of reparation they would like to see in their area. The Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire also visited Lancashire Police to see the launch of their hotspot policing pilot.

Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Exec Resolve, said:

We must do better when it comes to supporting victims of antisocial behaviour. As our new research shows, it is a prevalent, widespread problem causing serious harm to its victims and communities.

We are calling for a greater focus on early intervention and prevention, and more communication around how to report antisocial behaviour and what to expect after making a report. We are working closely with government to raise awareness of this issue.

The launch of the schemes this week are the next step in the government’s ongoing work to clamp down on antisocial behaviour, as set out in the Prime Minister’s action plan to build stronger communities and a better future for people across the country.

This includes relaunching the anti-social behaviour case review, formerly known as the community trigger, which gives victims of persistent antisocial behaviour a right to request a review of how their case has been handled, where a local threshold is met, as well as the start of a new pilot to rapidly deploy teams of offenders serving Community Payback sentences to carry out local clean-ups where particularly serious incidents of fly tipping, vandalism and littering have taken place.

Today also marks the latest round of funding opening under the Chewing Gum Task Force. More than 50 councils across the UK will receive grants totalling more than £1.65 million to remove discarded chewing gum from our streets and prevent it from being littered again.

Earlier this week, the government also opened the first round of the Million Hours Fund, to make an initial £3 million of grants available for youth organisations to provide more out of school activities and support more young people in areas of high need this summer – ensuring young people are helped away from bad life choices and are given access to greater support.

These measures form part of the Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan which sets out the government’s approach to making sure these issues are treated with the urgency they deserve by establishing a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of antisocial behaviour, and giving the police and local authorities the tools they need to tackle the problem.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 6 July 2023.

An additional £2.5 million in grant funding will go to 17 organisations across the UK that support vulnerable people in applying to the EU Settlement Scheme.

The latest grant funding will continue through to spring 2025 and will bring the total amount of support for the grant funded network of organisations to £32 million since 2019.

This funding will help to ensure that support reaches a range of vulnerable groups, including those with disabilities, the elderly and isolated, children and victims of domestic violence or abuse, to help them apply to the EUSS, including to switch from pre-settled to settled status.

Home Office grant funding has already supported more than 490,000 vulnerable people in applying to the EUSS, ensuring that they secure their rights in the UK following our departure from the EU.

The network of grant funded organisations and their delivery partners are part of the wider support available to applicants through charities, community groups and local authorities across the UK. This includes the Assisted Digital service, helping those without appropriate digital access or skills to apply online.

Barbara Drozdowicz, Chief Executive Officer of the East European Resource Centre, said:

Thanks to generous support from the Home Office, here at the East European Resource Centre we have been supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable Eastern Europeans since 2019. Over four years we have supported thousands of people with information, advice and casework, reached those in isolation, assisted people with complex life situations.

Continued support from the Home Office allows us to sustain and seamlessly continue this essential service as welfare and wellbeing, life choices and quality rely now on holding correct immigration status that can be difficult to obtain by more vulnerable sections of our community.

Louise Humphries, Chief Executive Officer of GYROS said:

GYROS are delighted to be awarded this funding from the Home Office and we look forward to supporting vulnerable EU nationals with their settled status over the next 2 years.

Rhys Evans, Project Lead and Service and Development Manager at Settled (Wales) said:

Settled are delighted to have been granted Home Office funding for EUSS advice work in Wales, in conjunction with our new partners on this project, TGP Cymru. With both organisations already well established in Wales, the new grant will enable us to expand our much needed free, accredited, multilingual advice work to EU / EEA citizens living in Cymru; and especially to particularly vulnerable groups including Roma communities, people who are homeless or have suffered domestic abuse, individuals with physical or mental health conditions, and people with language, literacy, or digital exclusion barriers.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 20 June 2023.

Police leaders must make sure their officers are confident to use stop and search powers wherever necessary, to seize dangerous weapons and prevent knife crime.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 June 2023.

The Home Office deployed over 300 immigration officers on over 150 enforcement visits in one day to crack down on illegal working across the UK.

The Home Office has conducted a record number of visits targeting illegal working in one day, as part of a nationwide operation.

During the operation, which took place across the UK yesterday, Immigration Enforcement officers arrested 105 foreign nationals found working without the right to do so during 159 illegal working visits.

The arrests took place at commercial premises including restaurants, car washes, nail bars, barber shops and convenience stores.

Suspects were arrested for offences including illegal working and possession of false documentation, with sums of cash seized at some locations.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended an early morning visit in Brent, North London, to observe Immigration Enforcement officers at work as part of the day of action.

Home Secretary, Suella Braverman said:

Illegal working harms our communities, cheats honest workers out of employment and defrauds the public purse as no taxes are paid. As the Prime Minister has set out, we are committed to tackling the abuse of our laws and borders.

We know the prospect of black-market employment is a significant attraction for migrants considering making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK.  Operations such as today send a clear message that we will not stand for this.

Of those arrested, over 40 were detained by the Home Office, pending their removal from the UK, with the remaining suspects being released on immigration bail. It is also expected that a number of the arrests will result in voluntary departure from the UK.

Offenders of over 20 different nationalities were found to be working without the right to do so in the UK.

The operation builds on the ongoing work by Immigration Enforcement officers to clamp down on illegal working which is a key part of the government’s approach to stopping the boats. This work tackles illegal migration by breaking the business model of criminal gangs who use the offer of black market jobs as one way to draw people to the UK illegally.

In the first quarter of 2023, Immigration Enforcement teams delivered 1,303 enforcement visits, a 57% increase on the same period last year, and since the PM set out his plan to stop the boats in December, arrests have now doubled since the same period last year.

Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime, Eddy Montgomery, added:

This result demonstrates the dedication and professionalism of our officers to take action against immigration offenders, as well as employers who are not complying with the rules. Our enforcement teams are working around the clock to deter immigration offending and help protect the public.

Working closely with partners and agencies including the police and the National Crime Agency, we are tackling illegal working at every level. It is vital that we not only identify individuals in breach of immigration law but target the people smuggling networks behind this type of criminal activity.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 June 2023.

The government has launched a consultation to ensure domestic homicide reviews reflect the full range of domestic-abuse related deaths, including suicide.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 15 June 2023.

Plans have been submitted to modernise the identification doctrine, a legal principle which can hold corporations criminally liable for an offence.

Businesses who commit fraud, money laundering and bribery will be subject to stricter scrutiny under new Home Office plans.

The government has collaborated with prosecutors, the Law Commission, and the private sector to introduce the biggest reform of the identification doctrine – legislation used to hold companies criminally liable for offences – in more than 50 years.

Under the proposal, added to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill today, senior managers will be brought within scope of who can be considered the ‘directing mind and will’ of a business. It means if they commit an economic crime, the company can also be held criminally liable and fined for the offence.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

Alongside our new Failure to Prevent Fraud Offence, these measures demonstrate our commitment to improved transparency.

We will ensure that those responsible for economic crime, whether individuals or companies, can be brought to justice.

The identification doctrine is a principle used to hold companies criminally accountable for the actions of its ‘directing mind and will’.

This has generally been interpreted to be a member of the board, such as chief executives, but complex management structures can conceal who key decision makers are.

For example, a recent multi-billion-pound fraud trial determined a banking group’s chief executive and chief financial officer could not be viewed as the company’s ‘directing mind’. This has left prosecutors with a very high bar to prove who fits the criteria.

Senior executives often possess a huge amount of influence and autonomy but cannot currently be considered a part of the ‘directing mind’.

Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said:

This reform will help small business owners play on a level playing field with corporate giants, whilst holding larger companies to account for committing economic crimes.

We stand firm in striking the right balance between the need to tackle economic crime whilst keeping burdens for the law-abiding majority low.

The move is another tool that can be used in the government’s robust plan to fight fraud. This includes the recent publication of the Fraud Strategy, which sets out how the government will work with law enforcement, and the private sector, to block scams at source, bring offenders to justice, shut down fraudulent infrastructure and ensure the public have the support they need.

It also builds on recommendations made by the Law Commission and feedback received from prosecutors and business groups. The consensus from these engagements was the current regime does not effectively cover the way modern businesses are structured.

In practice, a test will be applied to consider the decision-making power of the senior manager who has committed an economic crime, rather than just their job title. The corporation may then be liable in its own right.

This will reduce the ability for corporations to use complex management structures to conceal who decision makers are and therefore level the playing field for businesses of all sizes.

Andrew Penhale, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said:

The scale of fraud in the UK – which now comprises over 40% of all criminal activity – is so widespread that extra measures to help prevent it and protect people and organisations from falling victim to this crime is a welcome step in tackling this type of offending.

The reform of the identification doctrine for economic crime is another important measure to drive better corporate behaviours and will further enhance the tools available to prosecutors.

We recognise and support the government’s commitment to legislate for identification doctrine reform across all crime types in the future.

Lisa Osofsky, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said:

We have a mission to investigate and prosecute those responsible for fraud, bribery and corruption, but currently face a perverse situation where some companies have no liability for misconduct and no incentive to prevent it.

We welcome the range of measures introduced by this bill – including the expansion of our pre-investigation powers and the ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence – which, together with a review of the disclosure regime, would strengthen our ability to hold corporate criminals to account.

An influential piece of legislation currently used to determine a ‘directing mind’ comes from a House of Lords ruling in 1971.

That case concluded a supermarket group was not liable for the actions of an individual store manager, who was selling washing powder for one shilling more than the advertised price. The store manager was not a part of the corporation’s ‘directing mind’ and the corporation was therefore not guilty.

Senior executives are, consequently, generally viewed within the same light as the store manager.

The government’s reform will reset the balance and ensure greater accountability.

The identification doctrine reform, which applies to economic crime only, is another major development in the government’s drive to reform corporate criminal liability. Another reform – the creation of the Failure to Prevent Fraud offence – was tabled in April.

The Failure to Prevent Fraud offence states that a large business must have measures in place to prevent fraud. If an employee commits fraud for the company’s benefit, the organisation could receive an unlimited fine unless it is able to prove it had adopted reasonable safeguards.

A list of these measures will be published by the government in due course.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 15 June 2023.

The government has today published its response to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report.

The publication of the government response today marks the second anniversary of the Panel’s report being published.

The Panel was established by the government in 2013 to look into the circumstances surrounding Daniel Morgan’s murder in 1987 and the police handling of the case.

The Panel’s report shone a light on examples of corrupt behaviour throughout the investigations into Daniel’s murder which irreparably damaged the chances of a successful prosecution. Most of the recommendations were for policing, however there were several for the government to address.

In her written ministerial statement laid in Parliament today, the Home Secretary acknowledged the progress that has been made by policing, and the Metropolitan Police, in addressing the Panel’s recommendations, but made clear that more must be done to repair the damage to public trust caused by the handling of Daniel’s case.

The Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

The Independent Panel’s report was sobering, and for Daniel Morgan’s family to know that corruption denied them the justice they deserve is simply not acceptable.

There have been serious failures of culture and leadership in the Metropolitan Police, and I have been clear that restoring trust and getting the basics right must be a priority for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

I am also driving forward work to ensure culture, standards and behaviour across policing is improved at all levels, including reviewing the dismissals process and strengthening vetting to root out those not fit to serve.

The government’s response covers 4 key themes – investigations, tackling corruption, working with inquiries and information management – to reflect the key themes raised in the Panel’s report for the government to consider.

It notes the progress being made by policing to address concerns with tackling corruption, and the importance of the work the government is doing to drive improvement in culture and standards across policing, including strengthening vetting and reviewing the dismissals process so chief constables can remove officers who are not fit to be in the police.

The government has also taken several steps in recent years to tackle police corruption, introducing a new corruption offence in 2017 that applies to police and National Crime Agency officers and carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence. Measures were also introduced following the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to prevent corrupt officers from resigning or retiring early to avoid being held accountable for misconduct.

The government is also currently considering other recommendations in the Panel’s report, such as a duty of candour, which will be responded to in full as part of the government’s response to Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families.

Alongside the government’s response, today the National Police Chiefs Council will be publishing its response to the Panel’s recommendations for national policing. This follows the Metropolitan Police publishing their response to the Panel’s report in March 2022.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 15 June 2023.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin discuss issues relating to state security, counter-terrorism and illegal migration.