Government news and campaigns   

Criminal Justice Bill introduced 

 
The Criminal Justice Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 14 November, is focused on keeping violent criminals locked up for longer and making sure victims’ voices are heard. Measures in the bill  build on progress already made to keep our streets safer and  aim to ensure criminals face the consequences of their actions and spend longer behind bars by making sentences longer for the most dangerous criminals, including those involved in grooming gangs.  
 

 
Other measures to help tackle violence against women and girls include criminalising the taking of intimate images and expanding the offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm. Read more about the measures in the Criminal Justice Bill here, along with the factsheet here.  
 

Possession of Nitrous Oxide is now illegal  

The ban, promised as part of the government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan makes nitrous oxide a Class C drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This means possession of nitrous oxide, where a person intends to wrongfully inhale it for a psychoactive effect, is now an offence.   

Consequences could include an unlimited fine, a visible community punishment, a caution (which would appear on their criminal record) and for repeat serious offenders, a prison sentence.  Read more on the nitrous oxide ban here. 

Investigatory Powers Act reform announced in the King’s Speech  
  

On 8 November, the government introduced legislation to update the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill was announced in the King’s Speech and will make urgent and targeted amendments to the existing act to ensure our country is kept safe and our citizens protected from harmful threats. 

As technology advances and changes, so do the threats that the UK faces. Updating the act to meet modern reality will ensure our intelligence agencies can use and develop more appropriate tools and capabilities to rapidly identify intelligence insights from increasing quantities of data. Read more on this here. 
 
In case you missed it… 

Details of the review into police use of force published  

The review into police use of force and police driving investigations has commenced. The terms of a review looking at whether existing legislation on police use of force and driving provides sufficient protections for those in the line of duty, and maintains public confidence in policing, were published on the 24^th of October. Read more on this here.  
  
Robust new laws to fight corruption, money laundering and fraud  
  
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act received Royal Assent on 26^th October. Robust laws to fight fraud, counter corruption and bolster legitimate business received Royal Assent today.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act introduces world-leading powers which will allow UK authorities to proactively target organised criminals and others seeking to abuse the UK’s open economy. Read more about the new laws here.  
  
Action plan to tackle shoplifting launched  

The government brought together retailers and policing to set out measures to tackle the rise in shoplifting, catch more offenders and keep retail workers safe. Policing Minister Chris Philp chaired a meeting with senior police leaders and 13 of the UK’s biggest retailers to launch the Retail Crime Action Plan.   

Police have also reaffirmed their pledge to follow up on any evidence that could reasonably lead to catching a perpetrator. Forces will step up targeted hotspot patrols in badly affected areas.   

 
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.    
• End-to-End Encryption campaign calling directly on Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on its platforms without robust safety measures that ensure children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in messaging channels. Click here for the IWF parent guide.  
• 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    
• Parentwise is 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   

Neighbourhood Watch 

 
Hidden crimes affect our neighbours, our friends, and our family, and we often do not recognise the signs in our communities. Neighbourhood Watch Network is delighted to bring to you a series of special online webinars with expert speakers, delivering guidance, research, and case studies on specific hidden crimes. If you would like to join the webinars, please either click here to book your place, or click on the individual webinars listed below. 

From Monday 20^th – Thursday 23^rd November, we invite you to join the conversation with us and ask questions of our independent experts. The webinars cover the following topics:
 

Modern slavery and human trafficking – a topic which affects the most vulnerable in our society. Monday 20^th November 12.30pm – 1.30pm. Book here.  

 
Domestic violence and abuse – an objective look at how we can spot the signs and what we can do to help. Tuesday 21^st November 4pm – 5pm. Book here.  

 
Crimes affecting young people: Radicalisation – often a crime that does not get talked about until something happens. Wednesday 22^nd November. 2pm – 3pm. Book here. 

Controlling and coercive behaviour – another form of abuse that controls how a partner in a relationship behaves. Thursday 23^rd November 5pm – 6pm. Book here. 

  

Resolve’s National ASB Conference and campaigns  
     
Resolve recently hosted their National ASB Conference in Central London. The programme included several high-profile keynote speakers.  

Please find a video montage with key highlights from Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness week here and have shared their YouGov results regarding ASB here.  

UK Health Security Agency launches their flu/COVID vaccine toolkit  

UKHSA have published a new stakeholder communications toolkit which provides information on the flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme for 2023/24. It aims to support stakeholders to help communicate the importance of eligible people taking up the offer of a vaccine this autumn. The toolkit and assets will also be added to the Campaign Resource Centre in due course.   

The briefing pack contains background information, data and statistics, key messages, suggested social media copy, social media assets and links to useful information.   

We hope you find the toolkit useful. If you have any questions about the toolkit or plan to use any of the content, do get in touch. In addition, if you would like to discuss the campaign further – including any suggestions or insights on how we can work together to increase awareness of the vaccine offer – please email [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]