Found: Prisons Mission [FPP0035] Centre for Crime and Justice Studies [FPP0036] Introduction to the Criminal

Found: Correspondence from the Minister of state for Crime, Policing and Fire relating to the Criminal Justice

Found: Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire and the Minister of State for Justice relating to the Criminal

Found: To help improve the complaints system, the Government intends to lay an amendment to the Criminal

Found: Home Office Correspondence from the Minster of State for Crime, Policing and Fire regarding the Criminal

Found: Prisons Mission [FPP0035 ] Centre for Crime and Justice Studies [FPP0036] Introduction to the Criminal

Found: Prisons Mission [FPP0035] Centre for Crime and Justice Studies [FPP0036] Introduction to the Criminal

Found: Justice Bill.

Found: action against the illegal online gambling market through provisions set out in the Home Office’s Criminal

Found: We intend to make the necessary legislative changes via the Criminal Justice Bill which is currently

Found: the review of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and announcement of additional reforms in the Criminal

Found: now confirmed that they will introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker in the Criminal

Found: the comments that have been made, like with any piece of legislation —if you had passed, say, a criminal

Found: street homeless people following the repeal of the Vagrancy Act 1824.35 Proposals in the current Criminal

Found: Q39 Chris Stephens: Surely the best argument is the Criminal Justice Bill that is now going through

Found: We are supporting Sir Iain Duncan Smith’s amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill and hope that the

Found: CJB0011 - Criminal Justice Bill 2023 Liberty Written Evidence

Found: CJB0010 - Criminal Justice Bill 2023 JUSTICE Written Evidence

Found: Justice Bill and other legislation where we have recommended, I think, eight out of her 12 overall

Found: There is also the Criminal Justice Bill, which is at or is about to reach Report stage in the Commons

Found: constitutes a legitimate activity. 5.5.During the 30th January 2024 Public Bill Committee for the Criminal

Found: It is hard to see how the Criminal Justice Bill brought forward by the King’s Speech 2023 will sufficiently

Found: been recognised nationally by Ministers and recently in a debate in the Standing Committee on the Criminal

Found: 10 with the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act 2022, the Public Order Act 2023, and the Criminal

Found: Crime, Policing and Fire and Laura Farris MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State regarding the Criminal

Found: the Gambling Commission more powers to try and block and disrupt illegal gambling websites via the Criminal

Found: Justice Bill 2023–24 9 3 Policing during the King’s Coronation 10 Policing response 10 4 Israel-Gaza

Found: Have you looked at putting amendments into the Criminal Justice Bill?

Found: Have you looked at putting amendments into the Criminal Justice Bill?

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that online sales representatives, working for illicit Chinese pharmaceutical and chemical companies, are producing and smuggling illegal drugs into the UK, what action they are taking to combat the sale and advertisement of such drugs on the internet, and what response they have received from any representations they have made to the government of China in this regard.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Illicit production of synthetic drugs is a growing global concern, and we assess that criminal groups involved in illicit production are present in numerous countries around the world, including China. UK law enforcement agencies regularly engage with counterparts in countries where websites supplying and advertising illicit drugs are hosted. We have provided additional resources to the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Home Office international networks in key source and transit countries to work with other governments to identify and disrupt criminal groups who seek to exploit the UK. We are also working closely with partners to monitor developments in source countries, to assess how changes are likely to affect the drugs threat to the UK.

With regards to action being taken to combat the sale of illicit drugs on the internet, our Online Safety Act will introduce measures requiring platforms to remove content relating to the sale of illegal drugs online and prevent users from being exposed to it. If they fail to comply, they risk stiff financial penalties or in the most serious cases, having their sites blocked by the independent regulator, Ofcom.

Additionally, the NCA, along with policing colleagues across the UK target key offenders operating online and work to ensure they have the resources and powers they need to keep our country safe. For example, proposals are being taken forward in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new power enabling law enforcement to suspend IP addresses and/or domain names being used for criminal purpose, including the sale of illicit drugs. This new power will allow agencies to obtain a court order to formally request action by organisations both domestically and outside of the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with homelessness stakeholders on measures within the Criminal Justice Bill.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and as such have regular meetings with stakeholders. They reviewed the Vagrancy Act and determined replacement legislation was needed. They published the response to their public consultation on replacement in 2023.

The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners and other organisations including the homelessness sector. This has highlighted that more direct tools were needed to respond to begging and rough sleeping where it causes nuisance to others.

These provisions will be supported by guidance highlighting that local authority outreach and engagement remain at the heart of our approach and that these civil tools support a staggered approach to enforcement where that is necessary.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to support (a) businesses and (b) other organisations whose numbers are used by (i) nuisance callers and (ii) criminals in number spoofing scams.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

A central pillar of the Government’s Fraud Strategy is blocking individuals and groups from attempting to impersonate other organisations and institutional bodies. As part of this work, the Government has introduced a new measure to the Criminal Justice Bill to strengthen law enforcement capabilities to tackle scam text messages. The Bill will create a new offence for supplying or possessing “SIM farm” devices (which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of individuals and businesses at the same time), without good reason or undertaking adequate due diligence.

In addition, the Government and Industry have signed the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, a voluntary agreement to improve counter-fraud efforts. As a result of the Charter, the sector has introduced firewalls that detect and stop scam texts from reaching customers. Since January 2022, the firewalls have stopped 960 million scam text messages.

Law enforcement are also working tirelessly to tackle criminal number spoofing operations at source. Last year, Operation Elaborate led by the Metropolitan police took down iSpoof, a website that was used to make 10 million spoof calls impersonating individuals and businesses. The international joint action led to 142 arrests and the main administrator of the website was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months of imprisonment.

In April this year, in another successful joint operation codenamed Stargrew, the Met took down LabHost; a major criminal website, which fraudsters used to create over 40,000 fake phishing websites impersonating businesses. So far the operation has led to 37 arrests, and over 25,000 victims in the UK have been contacted.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the provisions on knives in the Criminal Justice Bill will also extend to weapons used for historical re-enactments.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

In the Criminal Justice Bill 2023 we are introducing three measures to tackle knife crime:

• Increasing the maximum penalty for selling knives to those under 18 or selling prohibited weapons to 2 years imprisonment.
• Giving the police a new power to seize any bladed article if they are lawfully on premises and suspect that the relevant article would be likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.
• Creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to use unlawful violence.

These measures will apply to all pointed or bladed articles, including those used for historical re-enactment.

On 25 January we laid the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 in Parliament. The Order has now been approved by both Houses of Parliament and this will prohibit the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024.

Zombie-style knives are defined in the Statutory Instrument and to fall under the legislation would need to be a bladed article with a plain cutting edge and a sharp pointed end, with a blade of over 8 inches in length, which also has one or more of, a serrated cutting edge, more than one hole in the blade, spikes or more than two sharp points in the blade.

Items which match this criteria will fall under the legislation including those used for historical re-enactment; however, there is a defence in the legislation for in scope items which are blunt.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to enhance cybersecurity infrastructure to help tackle phishing scams through (a) text messaging and (b) fake payment websites.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

The Criminal Justice Bill will introduce a new offence of supplying or possessing “SIM farm” devices, which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time, without good reason or undertaking adequate due diligence.

In addition, the Government and Industry have signed the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, a voluntary agreement to improve counter-fraud efforts. Under the Telecommunications Charter, the sector has introduced firewalls that detect and stop scam texts from reaching customers. The firewalls have stopped 960million scam text messages since January 2022.

Furthermore, domain registrars, Internet infrastructure (IIPs) and service providers (ISPs) operate robust voluntary arrangements for filtering, blocking and takedown of malicious websites, which is supported by the operational work of our agencies and law enforcement. NCSC also works in collaboration with industry partners to present ISPs with real-time threat data that enables them to instantly block access to known fraudulent or malicious websites. This has a major impact in protecting citizens from cyber- and cyber-facilitated crimes.

Where voluntary arrangements prove unsuccessful, we are introducing a new legislative power will provide law enforcement and investigative agencies with a formal process to suspend IP addresses and domain names that are being used to facilitate serious crime. This power will also be introduced as part of the Criminal Justice Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to introduce legislation protecting shopworkers from serial or abusive shoplifters.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government’s plan – "Fighting retail crime: more action" was launched on 10 April, and includes a new standalone offence for assaults on retail workers and electronic monitoring for prolific shoplifters. This builds on the police-led Retail Crime Action Plan, launched in October 2023.

We will legislate through the Criminal Justice Bill, currently before Parliament, to introduce a presumption towards electronic monitoring as part of a sentence served in the community for those who repeatedly steal from shops.

The new bespoke offence of assaulting a retail worker will also be introduced via the Criminal Justice Bill. The offence will have a maximum penalty of six months in prison, or an unlimited fine – and upon conviction, it is expected that courts will make a Criminal Behaviour Order, which could bar offenders from visiting affected shops or premises. Breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order is a criminal offence and carries a five-year maximum prison sentence.

Those who repeatedly assault retail workers will be electronically monitored after their third offence, to crack down on reoffending and ensure those continuing down a path of violent behaviour will be met with further consequences. For the most serious violent offenders of assault, custodial sentences of up to five years in prison are already available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) knife crime by and (b) the online sale of bladed weapons to people under the age of 18 in Wales.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.

The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.

We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.

The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.

Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.

Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the enforcement of regulations on the sale of bladed items (a) to and (b) by persons under the age of 18.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.

The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.

We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.

The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.

Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.

Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sale of illegal drugs on (a) social media and (b) other websites.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Drugs ruin lives and devastate communities. The Government is committed to driving down drugs supply in the UK through tough law enforcement against the sale of drugs online.

Our Online Safety Act will introduce measures requiring platforms, including social media sites, to remove content relating to the sale of illegal drugs online. Under this ground-breaking piece of legislation, tech companies must proactively tackle this type of content and prevent users from being exposed to it. If they fail to comply, they risk stiff financial penalties or in the most serious cases, having their sites blocked by the independent regulator, Ofcom. The Online Safety Act delivers the government’s manifesto commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

We also recognise that social media, gaming sites and other online platforms are critical enablers in the targeting, grooming and facilitation of county lines exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are developing a better understanding of how these platforms are being used and how to disrupt harmful activity.

Considering other websites, the National Crime Agency, along with policing colleagues across the UK and internationally, is mapping and targeting key offenders operating online. Dedicated teams use a range of tools and techniques generally unavailable to most investigators and we make sure they have the resources and powers they need to keep our country safe.

Law enforcement agencies work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences such as selling controlled drugs. To support this, proposals are also being taken forward in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new power enabling law enforcement to suspend IP addresses and/or domain names being used for criminal purposes. This new power will allow agencies to obtain a court order to formally request action by organisations both domestically and outside of the UK.

Furthermore, the Government has commissioned the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to undertake a review into internet-facilitated drug markets. The ACMD ran a call for evidence which closed in January and expects to publish its findings later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken with relevant authorities to reduce shop lifting in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the significant impact theft has on businesses, communities, and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.

We have recently taken significant steps to improve the police response to acquisitive crime, including car theft and shoplifting. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has made a commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have commenced a thematic inspection on the effectiveness of police investigations which will include an assessment of how police forces are implementing the reasonable lines of enquiry commitment.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues. The Metropolitan Police Service are represented on the Working Group and have an established vehicle crime lead.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan - October 2023.pdf (nbcc.police.uk). Through this Plan, all forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.

We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which meets on a quarterly basis, to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with relevant authorities to help reduce instances of car theft in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the significant impact theft has on businesses, communities, and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.

We have recently taken significant steps to improve the police response to acquisitive crime, including car theft and shoplifting. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has made a commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have commenced a thematic inspection on the effectiveness of police investigations which will include an assessment of how police forces are implementing the reasonable lines of enquiry commitment.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues. The Metropolitan Police Service are represented on the Working Group and have an established vehicle crime lead.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan - October 2023.pdf (nbcc.police.uk). Through this Plan, all forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.

We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which meets on a quarterly basis, to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle car crime in north London.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime. The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues. The Metropolitan Police Service are represented on the Working Group and have an established vehicle crime lead.

We are also legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to tackle (a) online scams and (b) other cyber crime.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

Fraud is designated a priority offence under the Online Safety Act (OSA), meaning companies will be held to account if they fail to remove illegal content on their platforms. This is expected to have a strong impact on some of the highest harm fraud types, such as online purchase, investment and romance scams, as well as key fraud enablers such as the recruitment and use of money mules.

However, the OSA will take time to come into force. Therefore, the Government has also created the Online Fraud Charter: a voluntary agreement bringing together the largest companies in the tech sector, who have committed to a series of actions aimed at reducing fraud on their platforms and services. The Charter was signed on 30 November, and will deliver a much quicker and more targeted response than regulation: Online Fraud Charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Tackling cyber crime is at the heart of the Government’s National Cyber Strategy 2022-25, which is supported by £2.6 billion of investment through the National Cyber Fund.

As part of the Criminal Justice Bill, we are also introducing a new power for law enforcement and other investigative agencies to act to suspend IP addresses and domain names where they are being used for a criminal activity with a link to the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the delivery of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are making good progress on implementation of the Government’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan that was published in March 2023. We have banned nitrous oxide, increased fines for fly-tipping, littering and graffiti, and over 80,000 hours of uniformed patrols have been undertaken, targeting areas blighted by anti-social behaviour in 10 police force areas.

From 1st April we will be providing funding of £66m to every police force in England and Wales to support a hotspot enforcement approach for both anti-social behaviour and serious violence across England and Wales from April onwards.

We are strengthening police and local authority powers to tackle anti-social behaviour through a number of measures in the Criminal Justice Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to implement the recommendations of the review entitled The process of police officer dismissals, published by his Department in September 2023, which do not require secondary legislation.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

In August 2023, the Government announced a series of reforms to the police misconduct, vetting and performance systems, following conclusion of the review into police officer dismissals.

Legislative changes are being delivered in three tranches, with the aim to implement amendments to secondary legislation in the spring and summer, as well as a clause within the Criminal Justice Bill. These changes will be accompanied by strengthened statutory guidance

It remains essential that the dismissals system is fair and transparent for the public, forces and all police officers and staff. That is why the Government, with the policing sector, continue to improve data collection to better understand and tackle disparities across the disciplinary system.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the recommendations of the review entitled The process of police officer dismissals, published by his Department in September 2023.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

In August 2023, the Government announced a series of reforms to the police misconduct, vetting and performance systems, following conclusion of the review into police officer dismissals.

Legislative changes are being delivered in three tranches, with the aim to implement amendments to secondary legislation in the spring and summer, as well as a clause within the Criminal Justice Bill. These changes will be accompanied by strengthened statutory guidance

It remains essential that the dismissals system is fair and transparent for the public, forces and all police officers and staff. That is why the Government, with the policing sector, continue to improve data collection to better understand and tackle disparities across the disciplinary system.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will consider the potential merits of implementing a method for members of the public to report directly and anonymously suspected child exploitation.

Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

Since 2019, The Home Office has provided £3.9m to the Children’s Society’s Prevention Programme, which drives targeted action to respond to exploitation. The programme has reached over 56,000 people and works with 35 police force areas on the #LookCloser campaign delivered in partnership between The Children’s Society, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) and the British Transport Police (BTP). The #LookCloser campaign’s focus is on improving public and business sector awareness of exploitation and abuse, and everyone’s role in spotting and reporting concerns.

The Government is also acting quickly to implement mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in England, which introduces a new legal requirement for those in roles with responsibility for children to speak out when a child is being sexually abused. Following the conclusion of a call for evidence over the Summer, and a public consultation, the Government announced it will introduce mandatory reporting via amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill. The Government has listened to the voices of victims and survivors and will deliver deep-rooted change to ensure children are never again so badly let down by the very institutions that should have protected them.

If anyone has any concerns that a child is being exploited, the government strongly encourages them to report those concerns to the police or to contact the children’s social care team at their local council. Members of the public can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, NSPCC Helpline or ChildLine to discuss their concerns and get confidential advice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps members of the public can take to report suspected cases of child exploitation.

Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

Since 2019, The Home Office has provided £3.9m to the Children’s Society’s Prevention Programme, which drives targeted action to respond to exploitation. The programme has reached over 56,000 people and works with 35 police force areas on the #LookCloser campaign delivered in partnership between The Children’s Society, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) and the British Transport Police (BTP). The #LookCloser campaign’s focus is on improving public and business sector awareness of exploitation and abuse, and everyone’s role in spotting and reporting concerns.

The Government is also acting quickly to implement mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in England, which introduces a new legal requirement for those in roles with responsibility for children to speak out when a child is being sexually abused. Following the conclusion of a call for evidence over the Summer, and a public consultation, the Government announced it will introduce mandatory reporting via amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill. The Government has listened to the voices of victims and survivors and will deliver deep-rooted change to ensure children are never again so badly let down by the very institutions that should have protected them.

If anyone has any concerns that a child is being exploited, the government strongly encourages them to report those concerns to the police or to contact the children’s social care team at their local council. Members of the public can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, NSPCC Helpline or ChildLine to discuss their concerns and get confidential advice.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) organisations working with people experiencing homelessness on the Criminal Justice Bill.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a database of stolen goods which (a) can be updated by law enforcement agencies and (b) auction houses can search before selling an item.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the significant impact invasive crimes such as theft can have on individuals and the wider community. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.

The Home Office established the Stolen Goods Working Group in January 2021, collaborating with policing and academic leads to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime.

Through this group the Government are working closely with a group of expert policing and academic partners who are taking forward work across a number of themes. These include actions to identify where and how stolen goods are commonly sold; examining ways to ensure property is marked, identifiable and traceable; exploring ways to share best practice between forces; and examining what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.

There are a number of police-led schemes to prevent the sale of stolen goods, including We Don’t Buy Crime and the Safe Seller scheme. Under these schemes, sellers of second-hand goods commit to undertake checks before buying and offering goods for sale.

Owners are encouraged to mark and register property, this helps to prove ownership of an item and return it to the rightful owner if stolen property is recovered. There are a number of commercially run property marking databases where members of the public can register their items. Some of these specialise in certain types of items such as bicycles or antiques. Police Crime Prevention Initiatives have developed practical crime prevention advice to better understand how to better safeguard property. Information can be found here https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.

The Criminal Justice Bill, currently making its passage through Parliament, includes a new power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize specific stolen items. This power will allow swift seizure of stolen property and better gathering of evidence to support investigation and arrest, which police indicate is crucial for acquisitive crime offences.

Online sale sites have policies in place to prevent the sale of illegal items and items that encourage illegal activity, along with guidance for the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen goods. The Online Safety Act 2023 will place a new responsibility on tech companies to prevent users encountering illegal content, which includes advertisements for stolen goods.

There are currently no plans to introduce a database of stolen goods which can be updated by law enforcement or bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department takes to help protect legal owners against the sale of stolen goods (a) at auction houses and (b) online.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the significant impact invasive crimes such as theft can have on individuals and the wider community. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.

The Home Office established the Stolen Goods Working Group in January 2021, collaborating with policing and academic leads to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime.

Through this group the Government are working closely with a group of expert policing and academic partners who are taking forward work across a number of themes. These include actions to identify where and how stolen goods are commonly sold; examining ways to ensure property is marked, identifiable and traceable; exploring ways to share best practice between forces; and examining what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.

There are a number of police-led schemes to prevent the sale of stolen goods, including We Don’t Buy Crime and the Safe Seller scheme. Under these schemes, sellers of second-hand goods commit to undertake checks before buying and offering goods for sale.

Owners are encouraged to mark and register property, this helps to prove ownership of an item and return it to the rightful owner if stolen property is recovered. There are a number of commercially run property marking databases where members of the public can register their items. Some of these specialise in certain types of items such as bicycles or antiques. Police Crime Prevention Initiatives have developed practical crime prevention advice to better understand how to better safeguard property. Information can be found here https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.

The Criminal Justice Bill, currently making its passage through Parliament, includes a new power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize specific stolen items. This power will allow swift seizure of stolen property and better gathering of evidence to support investigation and arrest, which police indicate is crucial for acquisitive crime offences.

Online sale sites have policies in place to prevent the sale of illegal items and items that encourage illegal activity, along with guidance for the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen goods. The Online Safety Act 2023 will place a new responsibility on tech companies to prevent users encountering illegal content, which includes advertisements for stolen goods.

There are currently no plans to introduce a database of stolen goods which can be updated by law enforcement or bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the significant impact invasive crimes such as theft can have on individuals and the wider community. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.

The Home Office established the Stolen Goods Working Group in January 2021, collaborating with policing and academic leads to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime.

Through this group the Government are working closely with a group of expert policing and academic partners who are taking forward work across a number of themes. These include actions to identify where and how stolen goods are commonly sold; examining ways to ensure property is marked, identifiable and traceable; exploring ways to share best practice between forces; and examining what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.

There are a number of police-led schemes to prevent the sale of stolen goods, including We Don’t Buy Crime and the Safe Seller scheme. Under these schemes, sellers of second-hand goods commit to undertake checks before buying and offering goods for sale.

Owners are encouraged to mark and register property, this helps to prove ownership of an item and return it to the rightful owner if stolen property is recovered. There are a number of commercially run property marking databases where members of the public can register their items. Some of these specialise in certain types of items such as bicycles or antiques. Police Crime Prevention Initiatives have developed practical crime prevention advice to better understand how to better safeguard property. Information can be found here https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.

The Criminal Justice Bill, currently making its passage through Parliament, includes a new power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize specific stolen items. This power will allow swift seizure of stolen property and better gathering of evidence to support investigation and arrest, which police indicate is crucial for acquisitive crime offences.

Online sale sites have policies in place to prevent the sale of illegal items and items that encourage illegal activity, along with guidance for the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen goods. The Online Safety Act 2023 will place a new responsibility on tech companies to prevent users encountering illegal content, which includes advertisements for stolen goods.

There are currently no plans to introduce a database of stolen goods which can be updated by law enforcement or bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of stolen cars returned to their owners in each of the last three years.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime.

The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales publishes annual estimates on the proportion of stolen vehicles returned to owners which can be found within the ‘Nature of crime: Vehicle related thefts’. The latest available figures from the 2019/20 CSEW, estimated that in 28% of thefts the vehicle was returned to its owner, 34% in the 2018/19 survey and 40% in the 2017/18 survey.

No assessment has been made of the number of vehicles stolen by under 18s and there are currently no plans to publish the minutes of meeting on car theft since November 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the minutes of meetings he has had on car theft since November 2023.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime.

The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales publishes annual estimates on the proportion of stolen vehicles returned to owners which can be found within the ‘Nature of crime: Vehicle related thefts’. The latest available figures from the 2019/20 CSEW, estimated that in 28% of thefts the vehicle was returned to its owner, 34% in the 2018/19 survey and 40% in the 2017/18 survey.

No assessment has been made of the number of vehicles stolen by under 18s and there are currently no plans to publish the minutes of meeting on car theft since November 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the trends in the level of cars being stolen by people under 18.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime.

The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales publishes annual estimates on the proportion of stolen vehicles returned to owners which can be found within the ‘Nature of crime: Vehicle related thefts’. The latest available figures from the 2019/20 CSEW, estimated that in 28% of thefts the vehicle was returned to its owner, 34% in the 2018/19 survey and 40% in the 2017/18 survey.

No assessment has been made of the number of vehicles stolen by under 18s and there are currently no plans to publish the minutes of meeting on car theft since November 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of policing of car theft.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime.

The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales publishes annual estimates on the proportion of stolen vehicles returned to owners which can be found within the ‘Nature of crime: Vehicle related thefts’. The latest available figures from the 2019/20 CSEW, estimated that in 28% of thefts the vehicle was returned to its owner, 34% in the 2018/19 survey and 40% in the 2017/18 survey.

No assessment has been made of the number of vehicles stolen by under 18s and there are currently no plans to publish the minutes of meeting on car theft since November 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce car theft.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime.

The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.

The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales publishes annual estimates on the proportion of stolen vehicles returned to owners which can be found within the ‘Nature of crime: Vehicle related thefts’. The latest available figures from the 2019/20 CSEW, estimated that in 28% of thefts the vehicle was returned to its owner, 34% in the 2018/19 survey and 40% in the 2017/18 survey.

No assessment has been made of the number of vehicles stolen by under 18s and there are currently no plans to publish the minutes of meeting on car theft since November 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on implementation of the provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill to support people out of homelessness and rough sleeping.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and as such have regular meetings with stakeholders. They reviewed the Vagrancy Act and determined replacement legislation was needed. They published the response to their public consultation on replacement in 2023.

The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, PCCs and other organisations including the homelessness sector on this topic. This has highlighted that more direct tools were needed to respond to begging and rough sleeping where it causes nuisance to others.

These provisions will be supported by guidance highlighting that local authority outreach and engagement remain at the heart of our approach here and that these civil tools support a staggered approach to enforcement where that is necessary.

I and my Rt Hon friend the Home Secretary have ongoing discussions with Ministerial colleagues, including in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, about the provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill, including those relating to tackling nuisance rough sleeping.

Equality and Economic impact assessments for the Bill have been published and are available at: Criminal Justice Bill 2023: impact assessments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Criminal Justice Bill on people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and as such have regular meetings with stakeholders. They reviewed the Vagrancy Act and determined replacement legislation was needed. They published the response to their public consultation on replacement in 2023.

The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, PCCs and other organisations including the homelessness sector on this topic. This has highlighted that more direct tools were needed to respond to begging and rough sleeping where it causes nuisance to others.

These provisions will be supported by guidance highlighting that local authority outreach and engagement remain at the heart of our approach here and that these civil tools support a staggered approach to enforcement where that is necessary.

I and my Rt Hon friend the Home Secretary have ongoing discussions with Ministerial colleagues, including in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, about the provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill, including those relating to tackling nuisance rough sleeping.

Equality and Economic impact assessments for the Bill have been published and are available at: Criminal Justice Bill 2023: impact assessments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with organisations that support people experiencing homelessness on the Criminal Justice Bill.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and as such have regular meetings with stakeholders. They reviewed the Vagrancy Act and determined replacement legislation was needed. They published the response to their public consultation on replacement in 2023.

The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, PCCs and other organisations including the homelessness sector on this topic. This has highlighted that more direct tools were needed to respond to begging and rough sleeping where it causes nuisance to others.

These provisions will be supported by guidance highlighting that local authority outreach and engagement remain at the heart of our approach here and that these civil tools support a staggered approach to enforcement where that is necessary.

I and my Rt Hon friend the Home Secretary have ongoing discussions with Ministerial colleagues, including in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, about the provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill, including those relating to tackling nuisance rough sleeping.

Equality and Economic impact assessments for the Bill have been published and are available at: Criminal Justice Bill 2023: impact assessments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress he has made on tackling SIM farms since 3 May 2023.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

Last week, I joined a City of London Police operation which saw two men arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. The men were in possession of SIM farms which allow fraudulent texts to be sent to the public.

We must deny criminals access to any tool that allows them to send bulk messages or make scam calls.This is why in May 2023, we consulted on proposals to ban SIM farms. The Government’s response to the consultation is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/preventing-the-use-of-sim-farms-for-fraud

We are now taking legislative action to ban “SIM farms”, technical devices that allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time.

The Criminal Justice Bill introduces a new offence of supplying or possessing SIM farms, without good reason or undertaking adequate due diligence. The measures will also allow the extension of the ban to other technologies that are exploited by criminals to scam the British public, subject to a high level of scrutiny and checks.

This new offence will make it more difficult for criminals to access and use these devices for the purpose of fraud and will give police the necessary tools to disrupt fraudsters.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the online sale of dangerous weapons.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

• On 25 January we introduced new legislation to ban zombie-style knives and machetes. This will come in to force on 24 September 2024.
• In the Criminal Justice Bill, legislating for more powers for police to seize knives held in private, increasing maximum sentences for sale of prohibited weapons and underage sales and a new offence of knife possession with violent intent.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle knife crime in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £43m of funding for a London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) (including £9.5m this year) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. In addition, we have invested over £60m (including c.£8.9m this year) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in London and provide high-visibility police patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods most affected.

VRUs are tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the London VRU is funding local interventions in Enfield including an outreach and detached youth team which delivers after school activities and creative sessions, 1-1 holistic support for young people, mentoring sessions and sports sessions for children and young people. Alongside this, the policing hot spot response programme is targeting key locations in Enfield Town and Fore Street. In addition to additional visible police patrols, policing interventions delivered through this programme in Enfield have included work to prevent robberies of school pupils and work to target males who were assaulting sex workers.

The government is also taking forward a programme of national activity to drive down knife crime. This includes recent consultation on new legislative proposals, including a ban of zombie-style knives and machetes. The government response was published on 30 August 2023. Following careful consideration of the responses to the consultation, a Statutory Instrument was laid in Parliament on 25 January 2024. Once the legislation has been approved by Parliament, a surrender scheme will be launched this summer to remove these items from our streets and once this has been completed, the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes will be outlawed from 24 September 2024. This will cover face to face and online sales.

Additionally, through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, which is currently progressing through parliament, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Last year the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes funding an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we worked with 10 police force areas, but on 15 February we announced total funding of £66m will be allocated to every police force to support a hotspot approach across England and Wales from April onwards.

We are also strengthening police and local authority powers to tackle anti-social behaviour through a number of measures in the Criminal Justice Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping. They reviewed the legislation in relation to rough sleeping and determined that the Vagrancy Act required repeal, they consulted on replacing the outdated Vagrancy Act, undertook extensive engagement and published their response to that consultation.

The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners and other organisations on this topic.

The Vagrancy Act 1824 criminalises begging and some forms of rough sleeping and the Government agreed in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to repeal this outdated legislation and replace it with a package fit for modern usage. We outlined those plans in the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan published by this Government in March this year and are now bringing forward these provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill which is currently before Parliament.

As the Government has always made clear, the repeal of the Vagrancy Act will be brought into force once this replacement legislation is in place to ensure local authorities and police have the powers they need to support vulnerable individuals and keep communities safe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle violent assaults in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £43m of funding for a London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) (including £9.5m this year) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. In addition, we have invested over £60m (including c.£8.9m this year) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in London and provide high-visibility police patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods most affected.

VRUs are tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the London VRU is funding local interventions in Enfield including an outreach and detached youth team which delivers after school activities and creative sessions, 1-1 holistic support for young people, mentoring sessions and sports sessions for children and young people. Alongside this, the policing hot spot response programme is targeting key locations in Enfield Town and Fore Street. In addition to additional visible police patrols, policing interventions delivered through this programme in Enfield have included work to prevent robberies of school pupils and work to target males who were assaulting sex workers.

The government is also taking forward a programme of national activity to drive down knife crime. This includes recent consultation on new legislative proposals, including a ban of zombie-style knives and machetes. The government response was published on 30 August 2023. Following careful consideration of the responses to the consultation, a Statutory Instrument was laid in Parliament on 25 January 2024. Once the legislation has been approved by Parliament, a surrender scheme will be launched this summer to remove these items from our streets and once this has been completed, the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes will be outlawed from 24 September 2024. This will cover face to face and online sales.

Additionally, through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, which is currently progressing through parliament, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle arson in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £43m of funding for a London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) (including £9.5m this year) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. In addition, we have invested over £60m (including c.£8.9m this year) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in London and provide high-visibility police patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods most affected.

VRUs are tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the London VRU is funding local interventions in Enfield including an outreach and detached youth team which delivers after school activities and creative sessions, 1-1 holistic support for young people, mentoring sessions and sports sessions for children and young people. Alongside this, the policing hot spot response programme is targeting key locations in Enfield Town and Fore Street. In addition to additional visible police patrols, policing interventions delivered through this programme in Enfield have included work to prevent robberies of school pupils and work to target males who were assaulting sex workers.

The government is also taking forward a programme of national activity to drive down knife crime. This includes recent consultation on new legislative proposals, including a ban of zombie-style knives and machetes. The government response was published on 30 August 2023. Following careful consideration of the responses to the consultation, a Statutory Instrument was laid in Parliament on 25 January 2024. Once the legislation has been approved by Parliament, a surrender scheme will be launched this summer to remove these items from our streets and once this has been completed, the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes will be outlawed from 24 September 2024. This will cover face to face and online sales.

Additionally, through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, which is currently progressing through parliament, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

The Government is planning to amend the Criminal Justice Bill to create a specific offence of assaulting retail workers, with custodial sentences up to 6 months and unlimited fines for offenders. The Government should now extend this to all public facing roles.

Found: The Government is planning to amend the Criminal Justice Bill to create a specific offence of assaulting

We want sections of the proposed Criminal Justice Bill that relate to "nuisance" begging and "nuisance" rough sleeping removed. We believe the proposed legislation is overly punitive and impractical, and risks further marginalising an incredibly vulnerable group of people.

Found: We want sections of the proposed Criminal Justice Bill that relate to "nuisance" begging and "nuisance

Found: This new offence, which will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, will mean

Found: Under an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, if an offender is found guilty of assaulting staff three

Found: The Criminal Justice Bill will also prevent individuals using the right to protest as a defence for committing

Found: tackling one the root causes of their criminal behaviour and this is why we are pushing through the Criminal

Found: These measures, which will be brought forward as amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill, are the first

Found: College of Policing to develop standards and a leadership development framework at all ranks through the Criminal

Found: registered sex offenders to change their name in specific circumstances, which will be included in the Criminal

Found: the Home Secretary’s statement that measures to introduce mandatory reporting will be included in the Criminal

Found: retail workers 3.2 We will introduce a new bespoke offence of assaulting a retail worker, via the Criminal

Found: However, a ‘duty to cooperate ’ does not go as far as a ‘duty of candour ’, which is included in the Criminal

Found: Dr Fairfield seeks changes to the organisational ‘ Duty of Candour’ for policing in the current Criminal

Found: reforms to procurement law following the successful passage of the Procurement Act 2023 • deliver the Criminal

Found: Lord Jackson also noted the amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill tabled in the other place by Rt

Found: retail workers 3.2 We will introduce a new bespoke offence of assaulting a retail worker, via the Criminal

Found: We intend to make the necessary legislative changes via the Criminal Justice Bill which is currently

Found: regarding Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) review and announcement of additional reforms in the Criminal

Found: MP, Peter Bottomley MP, Tim Loughton MP and Jonathan Djanogly MP regarding new clauses 3 to 5 of the Criminal

Found: Letter dated 05/03/2024 from Laura Farris MP to Jess Phillips MP regarding issues raised in the Criminal

Found: Letter dated 05/03/2024 from Laura Farris MP to Alex Norris MP regarding the Criminal Justice Bill committee

Found: more effectively take action against the black market through provisions in the Home Office’s recent Criminal

Found: Bardell MP, Dame Angela Eagle MP and Mrs Pauline Latham MP Co – Chairs Public Bill Committee, Criminal

Found: 3354 (Ch) , the court held that blocking orders are available for infringement of all IPR . 5 The Criminal

Found: Criminal Justice Bill response from the Scottish Government Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice

Found: Criminal Justice Bill Letter from the Convener to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs,

Found: Memorandum and Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum: delegated powers relevant to Scotland in the Criminal

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reviewed, or plans to review, any current legislation in light of the UK Government's proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill regarding sexually explicit deepfakes, and what its position is on whether there are any gaps in Scots law in relation to deepfake technology.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

Disclosing or threatening to disclose sexually explicit 'deepfake' images, including by publishing them on the internet, is covered by the offence of 'disclosing or threatening to disclose an intimate image' at section 2 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Scottish Government is aware that the UK Government has announced that it will amend the Criminal Justice Bill to criminalise the making of sexually explicit 'deepfake' images without consent. We will carefully consider the amendment.

Found: memorandum29 February 2024Partial consent recommended (i.e., consent to some but not all provisions) Criminal

Found: lodged during Q4 2023 Bill title Date memorandum lodgedConsent recommendation by Scottish Government Criminal