The External Affairs team

Government news and campaigns

Home Secretary hosts summit on mobile phone theft

Today (6 February) the Home Secretary brought together policing leaders, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London and leading tech companies to drive new action to tackle mobile phone thefts and secure a collective effort to grip this criminality.   

The summit comes as street crime has soared by 43% nationwide, driven by a significant rise in snatch theft, including of mobile phones.  

For too long crimes like these have been neglected, which is why as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, the Home Secretary says she will legislate where necessary to ensure police have the powers they need to treat this with the seriousness it warrants, and police are expected to agree to step up enforcement activity nationwide.    

Read further here.

New £13m police centre to tackle violence against women and girls

A new intelligence-led national policing centre will put the experiences of victims of child sexual abuse, rape and sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking at the heart of police investigations – backed by more than £13 million of government funding.

The National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, will be based in Ryton and bring together around 100 officers and staff to prioritise tackling violence against women and children across England and Wales.

Read more here.

Britain’s leading the way protecting children from online predators

Children will be protected from the growing threat of predators generating AI images and from online sexual abuse as the UK becomes the first country in the world to create new AI sexual abuse offences.

To better protect children against this sickening abuse the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has today (2 February) revealed the UK will be the first country in the world to:

• make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate CSAM, punishable by up to 5 years in prison
• make it illegal for anyone to possess AI “paedophile manuals” which teach people how to use AI to sexually abuse children, punishable by up to 3 years in prison

Read the full release here.

Better protection for victims from domestic abusers

Victims of domestic abuse will be better protected as part of a new law ensuring even more abusers face tougher management from police and probation.

Offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour, and sentenced to 12 months or longer, will now be automatically managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements. This means agencies are legally required to cooperate to better manage the risks posed by these serious offenders, recognising the significant harm this kind of offending can cause. 

Read more about the new law here.

£200 million boost to transform neighbourhood policing

Forces across England and Wales will now be given hugely increased resources to begin their recruitment to boost neighbourhood policing teams, helping to ensure that the government’s target for additional personnel is met by 2029.

After years of declining officer presence on Britain’s streets, this investment represents a crucial first step in rebuilding neighbourhood policing. This doubled funding – increased from December’s provisional £100 million commitment – reflects the scale of the challenges that many forces face, as well as the government’s determination to address them.

Read further here.

Counter terror-style powers to strengthen ability to smash smuggling gangs

Powerful new legislation will give law enforcement tougher tools to pursue people smugglers and disrupt their ability to carry out small boat crossings.

The measures will for the first time allow counter-terror style tactics to be used against smuggling gangs through unprecedented tools to stop smugglers before they act.

This includes stronger powers to seize and search mobile phones to investigate organised immigration crime and introducing new offences against gangs conspiring to plan crossings, selling or handling small boat parts for use in the Channel, supplying forged ID documents, for migrants attempting to come here illegally.

To read more please click here.

Stricter age-verification checks for all knife retailers

Stricter age verification checks and a ban on doorstep drops will be introduced to greater protect young people from knife crime.

These new measures will also prevent weapons getting into the wrong hands.

A stringent 2-step system will be mandated for all retailers selling knives online requiring customers to submit photo ID at point of sale and again on delivery. In addition, delivery companies will only be able to deliver a bladed article to the same person who purchased it.

The government has an ambitious mission to halve knife crime within a decade as part of the Plan for Change and a core element of this will be addressing problems in the online sales space.

Find out more here.

Other government department news

Department for Work and Pensions Biggest fraud crackdown in a generation

The New Public Authorities (Fraud, Error & Recovery) Bill will deliver on this government’s manifesto commitment to safeguard taxpayers’ money – ensuring every pound is spent wisely and effectively. As part of new legislation:

• Benefit cheats could be disqualified from driving for periods of up to two years if they refuse all opportunities to repay the money they owe. 
• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be able to apply to the court with the justification to suspend fraudsters from driving, provided the debt is £1,000 or over and frequent requests to repay the debt have been ignored.
• The Bill is expected to save the Department £1.5 billion over the next five years, and forms part of wider government plans to save a total of £8.6bn over 5 years in the biggest welfare fraud and error budget package in recent history.
• Measures in the Bill will be underpinned by a principle of fairness and proportionality. The Bill will also include safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable customers.

Read the full press notice here. If you would like further information, please email: [email protected]

Upcoming campaigns

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust – National Stalking Awareness Week Survey

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust are conducting research on healthcare professionals’ awareness and understanding of stalking, with the goal of identifying any gaps in knowledge and improving how stalking is addressed within healthcare settings. Contribute to this vital research by filling out the short survey here, or share their survey on social media (X/Twitter, LinkedIn).

Find more about their survey on their website here.

NPSCC Artificial Intelligence Safety Tips for Parents

NSPCC have published useful safety tips on their website for parents, to safeguard their children from using AI online, such as online chatbots and content generators.

To find out more please see their website here.

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]