Government news and campaigns    

Interim Victim’s Commissioner appointed 

The Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk, has confirmed plans to appoint Baroness Newlove as the government’s interim Victim’s Commissioner. The Victims’ Commissioner promotes the interests of victims and witnesses, encourages good practice in their treatment, and regularly reviews the Code of Practice for Victims which sets out the services victims can expect to receive. 

Baroness Newlove brings a wealth of experience having previously served as Victims’ Commissioner between 2013 and 2019. During that time, she laid the groundwork to enshrine victims’ rights in law through the Victims Strategy, improved their experiences in court and led important reviews on anti-social behaviour, the Victim’s Code, and reforms to the Parole system.  

Read more about the interim Victims’ Commissioner here.  

Nitrous Oxide ban announced

Possession of nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, will be illegal from 8 November 2023. The ban, promised as part of the government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, will make nitrous oxide a controlled Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. 
 
Earlier this year, the Home Secretary urged police forces to get tough on flagrant drug taking in local communities, with reports linking nitrous oxide to antisocial behaviour such as intimidating gatherings on high streets and in children’s parks, often leaving empty canisters scattered across public spaces. 

Consequences for wrongfully misusing nitrous oxide could include an unlimited fine, a visible community punishment, a caution (which would appear on their criminal record) and a prison sentence for repeat serious offenders. Read more on the nitrous oxide ban here. 
 
County lines gangs smashed in national police blitz 
 
Last week drug gangs across the UK were targeted in a national police operation, leading to 250 county lines being taken down and 1,613 arrests. 

During the country lines intensification week, 710 vulnerable people, including 58 children were also referred by police to safeguarding services through the national operation. Exploitation, coercion, and violence are cornerstones of the county lines trade, and cannabis is used by gangs to trap young people into debt, forcing them to transport their drugs and sell to other children to continue the cycle. By rescuing these vulnerable people from the grip of these gangs and helping them into support services such as the Home Office-funded Catch 22, this cycle of violence and abuse is being broken. 

Read more on county lines intensification week here. 

Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences launched 
 
An independent review into disclosure and fraud offences,, led by Jonathan Fisher KC, has launched to make it quicker and easier to bring criminals to justice. The independent review will consider how the disclosure regime is working in the digital age and whether fraud law meets the challenges of modern offending, including whether the penalties are proportionate to the impact of the crime.   
 
Read more on the independent review 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.   
• 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  

Crimestoppers Rural Crime Campaign 

Crimestoppers are working to raise the profile of rural crime – they want you to know what it is, why it’s a problem & what you can do to help stop it. They’re focusing on the following issues, all of which affect rural communities: The protection of wildlife, Environmental crime, Domestic abuse, Violence against women and girls and theft.
 
Read more on this here.  
 
Salvation Army 

The Salvation Army’s 12th annual report on work carried out through the Home Office’s Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) is now available online here. This interactive document contains the latest data on trends within the MSVCC and the wider work of The Salvation Army and its partners in supporting survivors of modern slavery.   

Resolve’s National ASB Conference and campaigns 
    
Resolve are hosting their National ASB Conference in Central London (Woburn House) on the15^th November. The programme includes several high-profile keynote speakers. There will be ample networking opportunities (including a drinks reception), discussion sessions and the chance to have your views heard by industry leaders. You can find more information and sign up here.  

Resolve has also created 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]