Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 25 April 2025.

43 failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders were returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana, as the government steps up international collaboration to secure our borders.

The flight underscores the government’s progress restoring order to the immigration system through the Plan for Change, ensuring rules are respected and those who break them are swiftly returned.

Those removed had no right to be in the UK and included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national offenders who had served their sentences. 7 people returned voluntarily.

Since the election, two charter flights have taken off to the countries, carrying a total of 87 people and demonstrating the strength of cooperation between the UK, Nigeria and Ghana on this critical issue.

Under this government, over 24,000 people have been returned, an 11% increase on the same period 12 months prior, while four of the largest returns flights ever have taken off returning migrants to countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

Deportations of foreign national offenders are also up 16% since the election, with 3,594 criminals removed.

Immigration Enforcement ensure that returns are carried out in a dignified and respectful manner.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum Angela Eagle said:

This flight demonstrates how international partnerships deliver on working people’s priorities for swift returns and secure borders.

Through the Plan for Change we’re going further in restoring order to a broken system, accelerating returns of those with no right to be here and closing expensive asylum hotels.

I thank the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for facilitating this operation, which reflects our joint commitment to disrupt organised immigration crime and protect our borders.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington, FCDO Minister responsible for Irregular Migration said:

Working with other countries and partners around the world is critical to tackling irregular migration – by working internationally, we will meet this global challenge together.

I welcome our strong cooperation with Ghana and Nigeria to return those with no right to be in the UK, secure our borders, and deliver on the Plan for Change.

This operation follows the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, which saw the UK bring together over 40 countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, to drive forward the global fight against smuggling gangs and deliver on the government’s mission to secure our borders.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 25 April 2025.

UK-Thai cooperation results in 90% reduction in cannabis arriving in the post.

Cannabis arrivals by post from Thailand plummeted by 90% in the first three months of this year, thanks to a new partnership between UK Border Force and Thai customs.

Since Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of cannabis being sent to the UK by post.

In the last quarter of 2024, Border Force, with the support of Royal Mail, detected over 15 tonnes of the drug, which threatened to overwhelm resources.

However, after intense diplomatic engagement, UK Border Force and Thai customs established a new agreement, requiring parcels from Thailand to be checked before they are shipped.

Border Force have detected 1.5 tonnes of cannabis coming through the post in the first quarter of 2025 – a 90% reduction, which is a result of the extra checks taking place in Thailand.

The action is key to this government’s work to boost international cooperation and tighten border security as we deliver safer streets for working people through our Plan for Change.

Minister for Citizenship and Migration, Seema Malhotra said:

Our partnership with Thai customs has slashed cannabis smuggling in the post by 90% in just three months. This collaboration is delivering real results and it’s a prime example of how international cooperation is crucial to our Plan for Change, safer streets mission.

By stopping these drugs at source, we’re disrupting organised crime, protecting communities, and freeing Border Force to focus on other priorities. Together with our partners in Thailand, this government will continue to take tough action against those attempting to smuggle illegal drugs across our borders.

The Home Office and Border Force have also worked closely with Thailand to prevent drugs being smuggled by air passengers. In February, Border Force and the National Crime Agency took part in Operation Chaophraya, a Home Office-led operation at Bangkok Airport.

This resulted in over 2 tonnes of cannabis being surrendered from transiting passengers, with an estimated value of £6 million.

Since Operation Chaophraya began under this government in July 2024, over 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling, underlining the importance of upstream deterrence work.

To mark the new partnership, the UK hosted Director General of Thai Customs, Mr Theeraj Athanavanich, and his delegation at Heathrow Airport and a Border Force postal depot earlier this week.

Mr Athanavanich met with the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, and Director General for Border Force, Phil Douglas, where they discussed the success of the agreement and future collaboration.

Border Force Director General, Phil Douglas said:

Border Force works tirelessly to protect and strengthen our borders, by preventing the smuggling of cannabis and other illegal items into the UK. Our work doesn’t stop at the border – we work internationally with our partners to prevent illicit goods from even reaching the UK.

We are using advanced intelligence more than ever before and last year we made a record number of drug seizures, including the highest harm substances. Border Force remains fully committed to securing our borders and keeping our streets safe.

In parallel with its cooperation with the UK on cannabis, Thai customs have introduced stricter screening measures at the border. This has resulted in over 800 cannabis smugglers being intercepted between October 2024 and March 2025, with over 9 tonnes of cannabis seized.

Both the UK and Thailand are taking a zero-tolerance approach on criminal gangs who are exploiting vulnerable people to smuggle drugs across the UK border on their behalf. Individuals who are caught smuggling drugs will be arrested and face the full force of the law.

Alex Murray, NCA Director of threat leadership, said:

The NCA continues to work with partners at home and abroad to target high-risk routes, seize shipments of drugs and disrupt the OCGs involved, denying them profits.

We have been working well with the Thai authorities who are keen to intervene. Couriers should think very carefully about agreeing to smuggle cannabis. There are life-changing consequences. Crime groups can be very persuasive but the risk of getting caught is very high and simply not worth it.

Border Force is committed to delivering the government’s Plan for Change, Safer Streets mission by stopping illegal drugs from entering our country and destroying lives.

In the year ending March 2024, Border Force and the police seized over 119 tonnes of illegal drugs, with a street value of £3 billion, a 52% increase from the year prior, in the highest number of seizures on record.

Charlotte Prescott, Director of Customs and International Policy at Royal Mail said:

Collaboration between government agencies and postal bodies is essential. We have a very strong partnership with Border Force and are proud to work alongside our Border Force colleagues, assisting their work in identifying restricted and prohibited items, and helping to tackle this issue – this relationship has been recognised as one of the best internationally.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 25 April 2025.

Even tougher action to hold tech platforms to account for failing to protect children from harmful knife crime content online, the government has announced.

As part of the Plan for Change, tougher sanctions will be brought in to combat the unacceptable content circulating online that advertises deadly and illegal knives and other offensive weapons to young people – or which glorifies or incites violence.

The government has already announced a significant fine of up to £10,000 for individual tech bosses whose platforms fail to remove this content within 48 hours following a police warning. Following significant consultation with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, the government is going even further with an additional fine of up to £60,000 to be paid by the company. This means tech platforms and their executives could collectively face up to £70,000 in fines for every post relating to knife crime they fail to remove.

A greater range of online platforms will be liable under these new laws to also include online search engines as well as social media platforms and marketplaces, to capture all online providers which might currently be failing to remove content.

The move bolsters further measures set out yesterday by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and Ofcom, to protect children from a broad spectrum of harmful online content including pornography, suicide and self-harm under the Online Safety Act.  The laws will be some of the most comprehensive online safety protections in the world and mean platforms must protect children from content including suicide, self-harm, and pornography by taking steps such as introducing age checks like photo ID matching or facial age estimation and filtering out harmful content from algorithms.

Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said:

The kind of content that young people scroll through every day online is sickening and I will not accept any notion that restricting access to this harmful material is too difficult.

Our children need more from us. That is why we are now going further than ever to hold to account the tech companies who are not doing enough to safeguard young people from content which incites violence, particularly in young boys.

Curbing the impact of this kind of content will be key for our mission to halve knife crime, but more widely our Plan for Change across government to do more protect young people from damaging and dangerous content.

As previously announced, the Home Office will introduce a new system to be carried out by a new policing unit backed by £1.75 million of funding to tackle the sale of knives online. This will have a national capability and be run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. They will be responsible for issuing Content Removal Notices which inform the tech platform of illegal content, giving them a 48 hour window in which they must remove it.

Failure to comply will now result in a Civil Penalty Notice rather than taking the company to civil court, which include the respective fines for both executives and the wider company. This will mean sanctions can be inflicted much more quickly and is the same penalty that an employer may receive for employing an illegal worker to reflect the vital importance of removing harmful knife related content.

Patrick Green CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust said:

The portrayal of knife crime on social media has significantly hindered efforts to reduce it. Beyond merely normalising, glamorising, and desensitising young people to violence, it has often provided an illegal avenue for purchasing knives without adequate safeguards, such as proper age verification.

Social media companies and their executives have repeatedly failed to address these issues. Therefore, I welcome today’s announcement from the government to take decisive action and hold these executives accountable.

I also thank the government for listening to the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime and for extending these sanctions to include social media companies, who have a responsibility to keep young people safe on their platforms.

These sanctions are part of a range of measures being introduced by this government in its mission to halve knife crime in a decade. These include:

• banning zombie-style knives and ninja swords, with a nationwide surrender scheme launching in July
• introducing stronger 2-step verification for online retailers selling knives online and banning delivery of weapons to alternative addresses that don’t match the buyer
• requirement for online retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives to the police
• launching a consultation in spring on the introduction of a licensing scheme for retailers who wish to sell knives
• increasing prison sentences for selling weapons to under 18s from 6 months to 2 years
• introducing a new offence for possessing a weapon with intent for violence with a prison sentence of up to 4 years

The sanctions for tech platforms will be introduced via an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which was tabled on 24 April for committee stage.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 24 April 2025.

The UK will become the first country in Europe to ban the possession and supply of SIM farms – technical devices used to defraud the public.

Members of the public will be better protected from fraudsters and scammers through a landmark, Europe-first ban on the possession and supply of SIM farms, the Fraud Minister Lord Hanson has confirmed today.

SIM farms are technical devices capable of holding multiple SIM cards enabling criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at once or set up ‘verified’ online accounts in large volumes. They increase the chances of innocent consumers falling victim to major financial losses.

With recent data showing that fraud increased last year by 19%, and that it accounts for more than 40% of all reported crime in England and Wales, the government is acting to prevent and counter these evolving threats and deliver security for the public as a foundation of the Plan for Change. This follows the commitment to publish a new, expanded fraud strategy before the end of the year.

The new offence will make the possession or supply of SIM farms without a legitimate reason illegal, shutting down a key route used by criminals to exploit the public, and will carry an unlimited fine in England and Wales and a £5,000 fine in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The ban will come into effect 6 months after the Crime and Policing Bill receives Royal Assent.

It will mean that those offenders using these devices to defraud the public will not only continue to face the full force of the law for their heinous actions but will also be hit with hefty fines.

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

Fraud devastates lives, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to protect the public from these shameful criminals.

Two-thirds of British adults say they’ve received a suspicious message on their phone – equivalent to more than 35 million people – which is why cracking down on SIM farms is so vital to protecting the public.

This marks a leap forward in our fight against fraud and will provide law enforcement and industry partners the clarity they need to protect the public from this shameful crime. This government will continue to take robust action to protect the public from fraud and deliver security and resilience through the Plan for Change.

Anyone who is worried about being a victim of fraud and wants to find out more about how to better stay protected, including understanding the tactics fraudsters use, should visit Stop! Think Fraud – How to stay safe from scams.

Rachel Andrews, Head of Corporate Security at Vodafone UK, said:

Vodafone UK is committed to protecting all our customers from fraud, including activity enabled by SIM farms. So far this year we have blocked over 38.5 million suspected scam messages, and in 2024 that figure reached over 73.5 million for the year.

As an industry, UK telecoms operators have blocked more than 1 billion suspected scam messages since 2023. However, we cannot fully tackle fraud in isolation, collaboration between industry and government is crucial. This is a really important step taken by the Home Office and we fully support the inclusion of SIM farms in the upcoming legislation.

We look forward to working together on this issue.

Nick Sharp, Deputy Director for Fraud at the National Crime Agency, said:

Fraud is the crime we are all most likely to experience, and one that causes victims significant emotional and financial harm.

We know that fraud at scale is being facilitated by SIM farms, which give criminals a means and an opportunity to contact victims at scale with relative ease.

The ban announced today is very welcome. It will give us a vital tool to step up our fight against fraudsters, target the services they rely on, and better protect the public.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 23 April 2025.

Police officers will be given greater confidence to carry out their roles, with reforms to the systems that hold them to account set to enter Parliament.

The government will table an amendment to the flagship Crime and Policing Bill later this week to provide a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers who are subject to a criminal trial following a shooting.

This will apply during court proceedings and in media reporting up until the point of conviction.

Improving policing systems is a crucial part of making our streets safer under the Plan for Change, and this move addresses specific concerns raised during the accountability review about the risks firearms officers face from criminal gangs and will protect them and their families against any such threat.

Three measures to improve the timeliness and appropriateness of investigations into police use of force and the rights of victims will also be also included in the bill:

1. Aligning the threshold for referrals by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) of officers to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to that used by police when referring cases involving members of the public. This is to avoid the system being clogged up with cases, allowing greater focus and swifter resolution of those that are referred.
2. Speeding up processes by allowing the IOPC to send cases to the CPS where there is sufficient evidence, prior to their final investigation report.
3. Putting the IOPC victims’ right to review policy on a statutory footing to ensure the voices of victims and their families are heard.

This is a crucial step in delivering measures set out by the Home Secretary to parliament in October, in which she set out a package of reforms to rebuild confidence for police officers and communities. The measures are designed to tackle unacceptable delays and confusion in the system, to ensure that the complexity of specialist operations is considered at an early stage, and that the highest standards within policing are upheld and maintained.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

The proud British tradition of policing by consent depends on mutual bonds of trust between the police and the communities they serve. That’s why we have set out an ambitious package of measures to rebuild both public trust in policing and the confidence of police officers in their vital work to keep the public safe.

Police officers in specialist roles who make split-second decisions to keep the public safe must have the confidence to carry out their duties, knowing that the systems which hold them to account for their decisions are fair.

Too often those processes have involved unacceptable delays and confusion, which has been damaging both for the police and the public. These changes will help to boost confidence that the system will work swiftly and effectively for all those involved.

The accountability review found that the current system for holding police officers to account is not commanding the confidence of either the public or the police, with misconduct proceedings too often plagued by delays stretching for years, which is damaging for complainants, police officers and police forces alike.

Alongside the changes being made in the Crime and Policing Bill, the Director for Public Prosecutions has already completed a review of CPS guidance and processes in relation to charging police officers for offences committed in the course of their duties. Revised guidance provides greater clarity for prosecutors, ensuring the dynamic and fast-changing nature of specialist policing decisions are taken into account when charging decisions are made.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said:

The progress that has been made on vital accountability reform should be welcomed. In particular, I am very pleased to see that the previous commitment on anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trials is going to be introduced as an amendment to legislation going through Parliament.

We know further reform is needed if officers are to have full confidence in the system that holds them to account but alongside our policing partners we are working positively and constructively with the government and that work will continue.

Lead of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Operations Coordination Committee and the Senior Responsible Officer for the accountability review, Chief Constable BJ Harrington, said:

We welcome today’s announcement. These are positive changes which will ensure that the public interest is served, and that police officers and staff will have the confidence to protect the public and uphold the law.

Everyone in policing expects to be held to account for their actions and use of powers. However, too often we hear of the devastating, and often disproportionate, impact on officers, staff and their families after they have stepped forward with courage and professionalism on behalf of the public.

Whether it’s an issue concerning use of force, death following contact with the police, police driving or where officers are alleged to have broken the law, it is important that the accountability mechanism is swift, balanced, and fair. This in turn will give our people the confidence to fulfil their duties, and the public confidence in their professionalism and decision making.

We remain determined to get police accountability right and we will support government to improve the current accountability system to ensure community support, and importantly, to give police officers and staff the knowledge that where they act, to do the right things for the right reasons, they have the support to do their job of tackling crime and protecting the public.

This comes as the government has today set out further reforms to rebuild public confidence in policing, including new regulations to ensure police chiefs can automatically sack officers who fail background checks, allowing them to root out those who are unfit to serve.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 23 April 2025.

Police chiefs will automatically sack officers who fail background checks, allowing them to root out those who are unfit to serve and clean up their forces.

As part of major government reforms to improve confidence in policing, the new measures laid in Parliament today mean that passing background checks will become a legal requirement for all serving officers.

It will also create a new process to enable forces to remove officers who are unable to meet the vetting requirement, strengthening the ability of police chiefs to boost standards in their force and ensuring their officers can have confidence in the colleagues they work alongside.

This will help ensure that the police have the confidence of the communities they serve, supporting the government’s work to make our streets safer across the country as part of the Plan for Change.

It is one of just many steps being taken by the government to take on the obstacles in the way of driving up standards in policing. Later in the year, further measures will be brought in to strengthen vetting national standards and ensure every force follows them, introduce stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls and ensure officers convicted of certain criminal offences are automatically found to have committed gross misconduct.

Officers can fail vetting for a number of reasons, including crimes like domestic and sexual abuse. While there are processes already in place for forces to deal with allegations of misconduct, failing vetting alone might not currently be enough to dismiss them. Recent legal challenges have brought to light the difficulty forces can have in removing officers who cannot hold vetting and are not fit to protect the public.

It can even mean they stay in the force on full pay, despite not being fit to be in a public-facing role. The government will not stand for this injustice, which erodes confidence in policing. That is why we are taking action to ensure officers face the full accountability the public expects.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

In recent years, serious cases which have badly failed all proper policing standards have damaged public trust in the officers who are supposed to protect them, and undermined the majority of brave, committed officers who work tirelessly to keep us safe.

It is simply not acceptable that officers who are clearly unfit to serve or pose a risk to their colleagues cannot be removed. That’s why these new rules are essential and it is why this government has been working closely with forces to overcome these barriers to restore confidence in policing. Our Plan for Change is to rebuild standards and trust – officers of only the highest standards, with the tools and backing they need to do everything in their legal power to protect our neighbourhoods.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vetting, Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, said:

Police officers and staff should always be held to the highest standards and we must ensure that only those who are suitable to wear the uniform enter, and remain in policing.

Alongside delivering vetting reform, we are working hard to build a culture where the public and colleagues feel empowered to report concerns and know that those concerns will be addressed and dealt with accordingly.

We welcome the announcement today of statutory vetting regulations, which provide clear routes for action to remove individuals who fall below the high standards the public and our workforce rightly expect and deserve.

Campaigner for SecureLife and the advocate for Raneem’s Law, Nour Norris said:

SecureLife has campaigned for years to bring about a new law that safeguards victims, reforms the police, and evolves a system that, for too long protected the wrong people. The new police vetting reform to boost officer standards is a vital action, one we’ve called for time and again.

These reforms are not just progress, they are personal. They are part of what we at SecureLife have fought for, ever since my sister Khaola and my niece Raneem were taken from us. They were brave, they asked for help, and they were failed by a system that allowed officers who ignored their cries to remain in uniform. That failure was fatal.

From 14 May, for the first time, officers who cannot pass vetting, many for serious issues like domestic and sexual abuse, can finally be removed. This is a major step toward the justice and protection victims deserve.

The introduction of Raneem’s Law alongside these measures sends a clear message: we will no longer tolerate silence, excuses, or inaction. The public deserves to trust the police, victims deserve to be protected, and officers must be held to the highest standard.

Because a strong country needs a stronger force, one built on integrity, accountability, and the courage to change.

This is for Raneem and Khaola. Two souls who should still be here. Their voices were silenced, but through these reforms, their legacy will speak for generations to come.

The strengthened police dismissal system, which will be in force from 14 May, comes alongside wider progress the government is making in reforming the systems that hold police officers to account.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 23 April 2025.

A successful grassroots fund has been extended after reaching 50,000 people in first year. Applications are now open for grants between £5,000 and £10,000.

Windrush scandal victims yet to claim compensation are being encouraged to come forward as part of a grassroots scheme extended by the Home Office today.

The government is making a further £150,000 available to the Community Engagement Fund (CEF), which was set up to raise awareness of the Windrush compensation and documentation scheme.

The successful first round of funding helped grassroots organisations reach more than 50,000 people who may be entitled to claim, while revealing barriers preventing victims from coming forward.

Local groups can now apply for grants of £5,000 to £10,000 to deliver projects that address these barriers, particularly the widespread misconception that Windrush schemes only apply to Caribbean communities.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said:

Windrush victims have waited too long for recognition and redress – with many still not feeling able to come forward to access the compensation they are entitled to.

We need to see this change. By funding trusted grassroots organisations to provide advocacy and support, we want to better reach those who have been wronged but remain unaware of the support available.

This government is determined to deliver on its manifesto commitment that every victim of this scandal receives the justice they deserve.

Insights from the first CEF funding round revealed that while compensation scheme awareness is higher among Caribbean communities, people from other backgrounds have not applied due to confusion about their eligibility or misconceptions about the schemes.

The additional support will be of immense importance to victims. For many, the Home Office Windrush scandal resulted in loss of employment, denial of healthcare, threats of deportation, and in some cases, actual deportation from a country they had every right to call home.

CEF applicants with strong community links will be prioritised. Projects must be completed within the 2025/26 financial year and should focus on:

• raising awareness among non-Caribbean communities and correcting misinformation
• gathering insights on why eligible individuals aren’t applying
• helping potential claimants connect with support services

The CEF complements the recently launched £1.5 million Advocacy Support Fund, which helps organisations provide practical and emotional assistance to victims making compensation claims.

The funds deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to provide additional support and work more closely with affected communities, forming part of the wider Plan for Change to deliver justice for Windrush victims.

The deadline for CEF applications is 4pm on 28 May 2025. Full details are available at the ‘Find a Grant’ portal on GOV.UK.

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

Jonathan Fisher KC has begun work on part 2 of his Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.

Better protections for the British public against fraud, and tougher enforcement against the perpetrators, will be the goals of the first independent review carried out in 40 years into the UK’s fraud laws.

Jonathan Fisher KC has begun work on part 2 of his Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences which marks the first independent review of fraud legislation in the UK since 1986. During this time, the nature and scale of fraud has evolved considerably, with fraud now constituting over 40% of all offences recorded by the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Where Lord Roskill’s 1986 review focused mostly on the serious fraud committed by corporate entities, the huge increase in fraud offences over the last decade has come at the expense of ordinary consumers and small businesses, targeted by highly organised gangs, many of them based overseas.

The resulting harm to society is severe, with fraud against individuals in England and Wales alone recently estimated to cost more than £6.8 billion every year.

Fraud has also been transformed by the impact of modern technology, with the increasing use of artificial intelligence to create scambots, deepfakes, and websites impersonating established businesses and public authorities. Fraud gangs have the ability to target tens of thousands of Britons every hour through social media, email and telephone, and only need to persuade a small fraction of those individuals to fall for their scams in order to make millions of pounds.

The Home Office will place these emerging threats at the heart of its new, expanded fraud strategy to be published later this year, but it will also be vital to have the independent analysis provided by Jonathan Fisher KC to inform the response required from government, law enforcement and industry. And with international cooperation to disrupt threats a key national security commitment within its Plan for Change, the government is also building a united global response as part of its strategy to tackle fraud.

Part 2 of the Fisher Review will therefore examine the largest challenges faced by law enforcement in bringing criminals committing fraud offences to justice in England and Wales. Specifically, it will consider key issues in each following stage of the fraud life cycle:

• detection and reporting
• disruption
• investigation
• prosecution and offences
• courts
• penalties
• rehabilitation

This follows the publication of part 1 of Jonathan Fisher KC’s review, Disclosure in the Digital Age, which recommended a range of measures to modernise the disclosure system and free up police time, and which is now being taken forward by the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office.

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

Fraud is a crime which can devastate lives, and I am determined to do everything possible to bring these criminals to justice.

I welcome Jonathan Fisher KC’s review which will help us expand our knowledge base about how to better detect, disrupt and deter fraudsters and deliver a swifter justice for the victims, as part of our Plan for Change.

The government is determined to continue our fight against this appalling crime, and I look forward to the outcome of this important review.

Attorney General Lord Hermer KC said:

Fraud is one of the most pernicious crimes. The criminals driving these schemes are using ever more sophisticated tactics to scam their victims. It is crucial that our criminal justice system keeps pace.

Fraud doesn’t discriminate against age, gender or sex and it leaves victims suffering financial loss and emotional distress. I welcome this independent review of fraud and look forward to considering any findings as part of our Plan for Change.

Independent Review Chair, Jonathan Fisher KC said:

With the advances in digital technology, it has become much easier for fraudsters to avoid detection, and indeed prosecution, outright.

This review aims to scrutinise the main challenges in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting fraud offences, and what can be done to better equip law enforcement to deliver swifter justice for victims.

I am greatly appreciative of the criminal justice system-wide engagement since the launch of this independent review and for the continued encouragement as I turn my focus to examine fraud offences.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 11 April 2025.

A dedicated community support will deliver justice for victims of the Windrush scandal, ensure they have their voices heard and receive deserved compensation.

Victims of the Home Office Windrush scandal will receive crucial support to access the compensation they deserve under a £1.5 million fund launched by the government today.

The Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund (WCASF) will provide claimants with dedicated advocates from community organisations to work alongside them throughout the compensation application process.

Many victims have reported that while this process is not legally complex, the emotional toll of revisiting traumatic experiences can make it difficult to navigate alone.

Delivered over the next three years and offered alongside existing support for Windrush Compensation Scheme applicants, the WCASF will break down barriers to justice by ensuring victims’ voices are heard and their experiences fully documented.

The fund delivers on the government’s manifesto commitment to provide additional support and work more closely with affected communities and forms part of the wider Plan for Change to deliver justice for Windrush victims.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra MP said:

The Home Office Windrush scandal was an appalling injustice that should never have happened. People who had built their lives here and contributed so much to our country were wrongly treated as illegal immigrants in the place they called home.

This £1.5 million fund is a decisive step in our mission to right these wrongs. By providing dedicated advocacy support, we’re breaking down barriers and ensuring victims have a voice through every step of the compensation process.

We are determined that Windrush communities will finally receive the recognition and justice they deserve.

Advocates will help applicants gather supporting evidence, provide signposting to additional services, and create a trusted environment so no victim has to face the system by themselves.

The additional support will be of immense importance to victims. For many, the scandal resulted in loss of employment, denial of healthcare, threats of deportation, and in some cases, actual deportation from a country they had every right to call home. These experiences led to severe financial hardship, deteriorating mental health, broken families, and shattered trust in government institutions.

The fund has been shaped by extensive consultation with more than 20 organisations, all serving different segments of the Windrush community.

Advocates funded through this initiative will understand applicants’ cultural background and support them to articulate their stories in a safe environment. It aims to ensure applications fully capture the impact of the scandal on individuals’ lives, livelihoods, and wellbeing.

Since coming into office, the government has re-established the Windrush Unit to oversee the department’s response to the scandal and embed permanent cultural change across the Home Office – keeping the voices of victims at the heart of all work undertaken to address the scandal.

Recruitment is currently underway for the vital role of Windrush Commissioner, who will represent victims’ views at the highest levels of government and drive lasting change. The appointment is expected by summer 2025.

Virtual information sessions for organisations interested in applying to the WCASF will be held on 14 and 15 April. To attend, you must register via email to WCSAdvocacySupportFund@homeoffice.gov.uk

All applications must be submitted via the Find and Apply Grant portal by 5pm on 9 May 2025.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 10 April 2025.

3,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers will be in post within the next 12 months, the government has confirmed.

The news was announced today by the Prime Minister during a visit to Cambridgeshire, as further detail was made public on the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

As part of this, every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have dedicated teams spending their time on the beat, with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas at peak times such as Friday and Saturday nights.

Communities will also have named, contactable officers to tackle the issues facing their communities.

There will be a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead in every force, working with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans to tackle antisocial behaviour, which is blighting communities.

These measures will be in place from July, in addition to the new neighbourhood officers who will be in their roles by next April.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put 13,000 more officers into communities by 2029, an increase of more than 50%. The early focus of the plan will be to establish named local officers, target town centre crime and build back neighbourhood policing.

Under these plans, communities across the country will, for the first time in 15 years, be able to hold forces to account and expect a minimum standard of policing in their area.

The government’s new Police Standards and Performance Improvement Unit will ensure police performance is consistently and accurately measured.