Government news and campaigns    

PM to clamp down on grooming gangs 
A new Grooming Gangs Taskforce will see specialist officers parachuted in to assist police forces with live child sexual exploitation and grooming investigations to bring more of these despicable criminals to justice. 
Led by the police and supported by the National Crime Agency, the task force will be made up of officers with extensive experience in undertaking grooming gang investigations. They will provide crucial support to forces across the country to root out grooming gangs and put more perpetrators behind bars. 
Read more on this here 

 Victims of domestic abuse are better protected from Controlling or Coercive behaviour 
Victims of Controlling or Coercive behaviour who do not live with their abuser will receive better protection thanks to changes coming into effect on April 5^th. The Controlling or Coercive behaviour offence has been extended to cover victims who do not live with the family member or ex-partner abusing them in order for the offence of Controlling or Coercive behaviour to apply. 

Anti-social Behaviour and Nitrous Oxide ban 
Perpetrators of anti-social behaviour will face swift and visible justice, increased fines, and enhanced drug testing as part of a new crackdown launched on March 27th. 
 
Under the plan, 16 areas in England and Wales will be funded to support either new ‘hotspot’ police and enforcement patrols in areas with the highest rates of anti-social behaviour or trial a new ‘Immediate Justice’ scheme to deliver swift and visible punishments. A select few areas will trial both interventions and following these initial trailblazers, both schemes will be rolled out across England and Wales from 2024. 
Read more on the government’s action plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour here. A news story with more information is also available on GOV.UK and there is more information or support if you or someone you know is a victim of antisocial behaviour.  
 
New guidance will help police crackdown on sexual harassment 
The legislation will introduce harsher sentences if someone who deliberately harasses, alarms, or distresses someone in a public place does so because of the victim’s sex, with the maximum sentence increasing from six months to two years. Read more on this here. 

Home Secretary ramps up security measures to protect Jewish communities 
Jewish communities are to be better protected from vile antisemitic attacks with a £1m funding boost and a new dedicated police task force. Read more on this here. 

Victims fleeing domestic abuse given lifeline payments 
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has announced that domestic abuse victims will receive direct payments to help them to leave abusive relationships.  
In a trial of an innovative new approach to supporting victims, the Home Office is working closely with Women’s Aid to provide £300,000 for one-off payments of £250 to victims of domestic abuse, rising to £500 where a victim has children. 
 
New Plan Puts UK at the Forefront of the fight against economic crime 
Government, law enforcement and the private sector agree on a new plan to crack down on money laundering, kleptocracy and sanctions evasion. 
Our response to economic crime will be bolstered by 475 new highly trained financial crime investigators, spread across intelligence, enforcement, and asset recovery at key agencies. This increased capacity will be targeted toward the detection and disruption of money laundering, and the recovery of an additional £1bn in criminal assets over the next ten years.  
 

Martyn’s Law workshops to improve public safety 
Home Office invites all owners, operators, and those with responsibility for public premises to apply for one of a series of workshops around the UK covering Martyn’s Law, which will require venues to take steps to improve public safety from terrorist attacks. 
Attending one of these workshops will allow you to hear about plans for the upcoming legislation and help to scope how the legislation will work in practice, including opportunities to contribute to requirements on advice and guidance.    
Please apply for one of the workshops here, if you have any questions in the interim, please email [email protected]. 
The deadline for all applications is 07/04/2023. You will be notified if your application has been successful by 19/04/2023.   
 
Campaign Materials  
The government is running several campaigns for vulnerable audiences. We would be grateful if you could share campaign materials and messaging on your channels, and with your networks.   

·       ENOUGH. aims to challenge perpetrators and raise awareness of what we can all do to safely call out abuse. Please find attached a partner pack which includes more information on the campaign and materials which you can share on your channels.  

·       Stop Abuse Together aims to empower parents and carers to take steps to help keep the children in their life safe. All children have a right to be safe from sexual abuse, and we all have a role to play in keeping them safe. Let’s #StopAbuseTogether  

·       Parentwiseis designed to build parents’ and carers’ understanding of the range of harms their child could be exposed to. It includes a partner pack to help them spot the signs that something could be wrong and empower them to act if they are worried. 

  
Stakeholder news and campaigns  
 
College of Policing consultation 
The College of Policing is running a consultation proposing a new version of the Code of Ethics. We want to hear from people across policing, our partner organisations, the public and charities. 
Have your say in shaping a modern-day police service you are proud of by taking part in the Code of Ethics consultation and ensuring it has a practical application to everyday policing. 
The consultation is now open and closes on Friday 28 April 2023 at 11:59 pm. You can take part by reading the revised Code of Ethics, completing the online questionnaire, or if you would like to provide an organisational or group response, or if you require a more accessible version of the consultation form, please contact [email protected]. 
 
Upcoming campaigns 
If your organisation has any upcoming surveys or campaigns that you would like us to highlight in our newsletter, please get in touch with the External Affairs team at [email protected]