law enforcement
New crime legislation designed to restore public faith in the criminal justice system
Sweeping new laws to restore public faith in the criminal justice are set to enter the statute book.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill seeks to equip the police service with the powers and tools necessary to protect the public, while also overhauling sentencing laws to keep serious violent offenders behind bars for longer and placing greater emphasis on rehabilitation to better help offenders to turn their lives around and prevent further crimes.
New court orders will boost efforts to crack down on knife crime, as well as make it easier to Stop and Search those individuals suspected of carrying a blade. New laws will also enable the police to better tackle unauthorised encampments and, controversially, safely manage protests where they threaten public order or stop others from continuing with their daily lives.
In the week the Bill came before Parliament, campaigners raised concerns that the new law could overstretch police powers and diminish the right to protest, fears echoed in the wake of the police handling of an unauthorised vigil to mark the murder of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common.
In addition, maximum penalties will be doubled from 12 months to two years for those who assault police officers or other Emergency Services workers (such as prison officers, Fire and Rescue Service personnel or frontline health workers), although the Government has stopped short of affording the same protection to shop workers in England.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC said: “This Government has pledged to crack down on crime and build safer communities. We are delivering on that commitment. We’re giving the police and the courts the powers they need to keep our streets safe, while at the same time providing greater opportunities for offenders to turn their lives around and better contribute towards society.”
Buckland added: “We’re also investing hundreds of millions of pounds to deliver speedier justice and boost support for the victims of crime. In short, we will continue to do everything it takes to build back confidence in the criminal justice system.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel explained: “On becoming Home Secretary, I vowed to back the police service to cut crime and make our streets safer. This Bill delivers on that promise, equipping the police with the tools they need to stop violent criminals in their tracks, putting the thugs who assault officers behind bars for longer and strengthening the support officers and their families receive.”
The Home Secretary continued: “The Government has already recruited over 6,600 of the additional 20,000 officers we want to bring into the police service and every single one of them has my full support. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill enshrines my commitment to those brave officers who put themselves in danger to keep the rest of us safe.”
Further changes will see tougher penalties for those who vandalise memorials and a statutory duty placed on local authorities and criminal justice agencies to tackle serious violence through better sharing of data and intelligence.
The legislation builds on extensive work already underway to deliver a smarter and fairer justice system as the country builds back safer from the pandemic. This includes hundreds of millions of pounds being invested in the courts to deliver speedier justice and reduce court delays, unprecedented funding for victim support services, the aforementioned recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers and a £4 billion investment in extra prison places.
David Lloyd, lead on criminal justice at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. said: “The public needs to have confidence in the criminal justice system or else they will lose faith in reporting crime. By ensuring that those who commit the most serious violent crimes spend the bulk of their sentences in prison, we send a clear message that we’re on the side of victims.”
Lloyd went on to state: “We must look to reduce re-offending through more effective community sentences for lower-level offenders where and when they are appropriate.”
Serious Violence Reduction Orders see new Stop and Search powers against convicted knife offensive weapons offenders designed to ensure offenders are steered away from crime. If they persist in carrying an offensive weapon, they’re more likely to be caught and put in prison.
A legal duty is to be placed on local authorities, the police service, criminal justice agencies, health and Fire and Rescue Services to tackle serious violence through sharing data and intelligence.
