Government news and campaigns 

Stop! Think Fraud 

A major campaign to transform the fight against fraudsters launched last week. Stop! Think Fraud is the government’s new campaign, backed by leading counter fraud experts who are uniting under one voice to provide consistent, clear and robust anti-fraud advice to the public. 

The evidence led campaign draws on the expertise of leading counter-fraud experts and includes an online fraud hub which will provide concise, simple to follow advice. It will also signpost victims to relevant organisations for further advice and support. 

Please read more about the new campaign here. 

Government extends stay for Ukrainians in the UK 

Ukrainians who sought sanctuary in the UK in the aftermath of Russia’s illegal invasion have been provided with certainty, as the UK Government announces a new visa extension scheme. 

From early 2025, all those in the UK under one of the Ukraine visa schemes will be able to apply to stay here for an additional 18 months and continue to have the same rights to access work, benefits, healthcare, and education throughout their stay. This will mean those who came on the first visas under one of the Ukraine visa schemes could now stay in the UK until September 2026. 

Read more on this here. Please find the latest Ukraine Family Scheme and Sponsorship Scheme statistics here. 
 
Plan proven to slash anti-social behaviour rolled out nationwide  

Every police force in England and Wales will receive at least £1 million to ramp up patrols to tackle violence and disorder, targeted in areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour.   

It is estimated that the funding, hitting £66 million for England and Wales, will enable each force to deploy uniformed patrols for up to 20,000 hours in “hotspot” areas each year, helping drive down crime and boost public confidence in their local force. Across all 43 forces areas, this will support between 600,000 and 900,000 hours of hotspot patrols over the next year.  

This approach has already been piloted in ten areas, with over 80,000 hours of patrols in the six months since it launched. This has led to nearly 600 arrests, close to 1,500 stop and searches and around 700 uses of Anti-Social Behaviour powers such as community protection notices and public protection orders. 

Government exploring tougher crossbow rules 

Under current legislation, it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow, and anyone who carries a crossbow in public without reasonable excuse faces up to four years behind bars. 

The government is considering going further, launching a call for evidence to ask whether these rules are tough enough. Strengthened rules could include a licensing scheme to protect public safety police checks for anyone looking to purchase a crossbow. Read more on this here. 

Police and Crime Commissioner functions 

The transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions will mean that the mayors in the West Midlands and South Yorkshire will have oversight over their respective local police forces to improve collaboration across public services. The Police and Crime Commissioner role will be assumed by the newly elected mayors across those local areas following the upcoming elections in May.    

Read more on this here.  

In case you missed it… 

Martyn’s Law consultation  
 
A six-week consultation has opened on new laws to make sure we are better prepared for, and protected from, terrorist attacks. The consultation is open to the public until 18 March. It particularly seeks views from those responsible for smaller premises, especially those in the community and voluntary sector. Please find the consultation link now live here, and the written statement here. Read more on this here. 

Fatal domestic abuse reviews renamed to better recognise suicide cases 
 
Domestic Homicide Reviews will be renamed to Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews following calls to better recognise deaths from domestic abuse-related suicide. This means that a Domestic Homicide Review can be commissioned whenever there is a death that has, or appears to have, resulted from domestic abuse.  As well as physical abuse, this includes controlling or coercive behaviour and emotional and economic abuse. It will help to ensure that lessons are learned from fatal domestic abuse cases. Read more on this here. 

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.      
NSPCC Helpline encourages adults to reach out with concerns of child sexual abuse. The service is free for anyone who has concerns about a child or young person. Please find campaign films for professionals, and the general public. 
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.     
Victims of Terrorism provides information on where to seek advice and assistance following a terrorist incident.  
 

Stakeholder news and campaigns   

College of Policing: Code of Ethics 

This month the College has published the policing Code of Ethics, a landmark document that sets new high ethical and professional standards for officers and staff and will help ensure everyone in policing is doing the right things, in the right way for the right reasons.  
 

Survivors and Justice Survey 
 
NAPAC has launched its ‘Survivors and Justice’ survey. If you experienced any abuse in childhood and have opinions about justice, you can take part anonymously here: https://napac.org.uk/survivors-and-justice-survey/ 

 Please use the hashtag: #SurvivorsAndJustice when supporting the campaign. 

Support for male survivors of sexual violence 

The Male Survivors Partnership is encouraging males (adults and children) to reach out for gender-specific support if they have experienced sexual violence.  Research from the Males Survivors Partnership and Edge Hill University in 2023 highlighted that male victims are less likely to seek support than female victims. On average male victims wait more than two decades before seeking support, compared to 12 years for female victims.  Awareness of the unique challenges facing male survivors is critical to improving disclosure rates and the disclosure process for men and boys. 

Male survivors (including cis men, trans men and boys, intersex and non-binary people) can access specialist gender-specific support by contacting Safeline (Males aged 3+) and Survivors UK (males aged 13+).   
 
Women’s Resource Centre campaign 
 
Women’s Resource Centre are currently running “Speaking up for Women,”. 
 
The campaign calls for a National Women’s Fund to support women and children. WRC have created a petition on Change.org which you can access through this link.