college.police.uk

DigestJune 2017A digest of police law, operational policing practice and criminal justice

BetterEvidenceforBetterPolicing

™

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL

© College of Policing Limited 2017

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Non-Commercial College Licence v1.1 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence visit http://www.college.police.uk/Legal/Documents/Non_Commercial_College_Licence.pdf

Where we have identified any third-party copyright information, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available for download at college.police.uk

Any enquiries regarding this publication or to request copies in accessible formats please contact us at digest@college.pnn.police.uk

The Digest is a primarily legal environmental scanning publication intended to capture and consolidate topical and key issues, both current and future, impacting on all areas of policing.

During the production of the Digest, information is included from governmental bodies, criminal justice organisations and research bodies. As such, the Digest should prove an invaluable guide to those responsible for strategic decision making, operational planning and police training.

The College of Policing is also responsible for Authorised Professional Practice (APP). APP is the official and most up-to-date source of policing practice and covers a range of policing activities such as: police use of firearms, treatment of people in custody, investigation of child abuse and management of intelligence. APP is available online at www.app.college.police.uk

Any enquiries regarding this publication or to request copies in accessible formats please contact us at digest@college.pnn.police.uk

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL

Overview 4Case law 5 General police duties 5 Crompton, R (on the application of) v Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire & Ors

[2017] EWHC 1349 (Admin) 5 AB (A Child), R (On the Application Of) v The Secretary of State for Justice [2017]

EWHC 1694 (Admin) 7

Policing practice 8 Crime 8 NAO report on online fraud 8 Latest crime statistics published 10 HOC 008/2017: a change to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to control 29 drugs 10

Police 11 Latest statistics on the operation of powers under terrorism legislation 11

Revised media relations guidance published for police 12

HMIC report on response to harassment and stalking 13

New guidance on death or serious injury incidents involving the police 15

IPCC review into handling allegations of discrimination 16

Criminal justice system 17 Criminal Justice Joint Inspection programme consultation 17

Hillsborough charging decisions 17

New sentencing guidelines proposed for child cruelty and female genital mutilation offences 17

New sentencing guidelines proposed for manslaughter offences 18

Operation Lynemouth: First interim report 19

Funding announced to tackle violence against women and girls 19

3

Contents

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 4

This month’s edition of the Digest contains a summary of issues relating to police law, operational policing practice and criminal justice.

There are case reports on:

• a judicial review of decisions made by a PCC which led to the resignation of the chief constable

• a breach of the Young Offender Institution Rules.

We look in detail at:

• the National Audit Office report on online fraud

• the HMIC report on the response to harassment and stalking

• consultations on new sentencing guidelines for child cruelty, female genital mutilation and manslaughter offences

• the IPCC follow-up review of how police forces deal with allegations of discrimination.

We also look at:

• revised media relations guidance

• new guidance on death or serious injury incidents involving the police

• the first interim report for Operation Lynemouth

• Criminal Justice Joint Inspection programme consultation

• the latest statistics on crime and the operation of powers under terrorism legislation.

Overview

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 5

Case lawGeneral police dutiesCrompton, R (on the application of) v Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire & Ors [2017] EWHC 1349 (Admin)

In this case, the claimant sought the judicial review of four decisions made by the defendant, which led to his resignation in September 2016. The claimant alleged that the decisions taken by the defendant were irrational, disproportionate, took irrelevant considerations into account and breached his rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The decisions in question were:

• the decision to suspend the Chief Constable

• the decision not to follow the recommendation of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s (HMCIC) against requiring the Chief Constable’s resignation

• the decision to maintain the second decision following receipt of representations made on behalf of the Chief Constable

• the final decision to request the Chief Constable’s resignation.

On 15 April 1989, 96 people were killed as the result of overcrowding in the Hillsborough football ground in Sheffield. The claimant, David Crompton, was appointed Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police (SYP) on 24 January 2012. He had no involvement with SYP at the time of the Hillsborough disaster. The defendant, Alan Billings, was elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for South Yorkshire on 3 November 2014. He was re-elected as PCC on 5 May 2016.

On 26 April 2016, the jury hearing the inquests into the death of the 96 returned their verdicts. On the same day, the claimant issued a full apology on behalf of SYP. The apology had previously been agreed in a meeting involving the claimant and other senior SYP officers, as well as the defendant and his staff.

Following a statement from the Shadow Home Secretary, the claimant felt that a further response was necessary and drafted a second statement which was shared with the defendant for approval. The defendant indicated his opposition against issuing a further statement. Specifically, he did not want to advise the claimant on the content of the draft, given his responsibility for independent scrutiny of the Chief Constable role.

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 6

On April 27 2016, the claimant released the second statement. The statement was met with criticism from a number of MPs. On the same day, the defendant suspended the claimant and invoked the process under section 38 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to remove the claimant from office. Despite representations from HMCIC and the claimant that his removal would be unlawful, on September 29 2016, the defendant formally asked the claimant to resign, and he did so.

Granting judicial claims outside of stipulated time limits

Two of the judicial claims made by the claimant were issued outside of the time limits stipulated by statute, however the court allowed the late claims under Criminal Procedure Rules Part 3.1(2) (a). The claims were allowed on the grounds that it is understandable that the claimant awaited a final decision from the defendant on his resignation before launching his appeal. This final decision could not be given by the defendant until the section 38 process had advanced.

Rationality and proportionality of decision to suspend and require resignation

The court asserted that the second statement given by the claimant was ‘comfortably within the range of reasonable responses’ available to a Chief Constable following a call from a senior politician for further comment. It was also ruled that a PCC should give particular weight to recommendations given by the HMCIC in view of the body’s independence, statutory function and institutional experience.

The court noted that the protocol governing the relationship between the PCC and Chief Constable requires a duty of cooperation based on ‘goodwill, professionalism, openness and trust’. Considering that duty, the defendant should have engaged with the claimant on the draft of the second statement, while warning him that, if he were to issue the statement, he could be at risk of suspension under section 38. The defendant did not engage with the claimant and then failed to accord the claimant a margin of appreciation in the decision he took.

The court also confirmed that Article 8 was engaged. The defendant’s exercise of the section 38 powers to remove a Chief Constable from office had the capacity to significantly affect the claimant’s reputation. Following this, the defendant’s decision to suspend the claimant and ultimately require his resignation or retirement were disproportionate means of holding him to account for his decision to publish the second statement.

Conclusion

The court granted the applications for judicial review and determined that all four decisions taken by the defendant leading to the claimant’s resignation be quashed.

Access the judgment in full at www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2017/1349.html

General police dutiesCase law General police dutiesCase law

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 7

AB (A Child), R (On the Application Of) v The Secretary of State for Justice [2017] EWHC 1694 (Admin)

The claimant, aged 16, was serving a 12-month detention and training order in a young offender institution. On arrival, he had been placed in an induction unit and immediately put on ‘single unlock’, effectively removing him from association. The claimant sought judicial review on the grounds that there had been a breach of the Young Offender Institution Rules (SI 2000/3371), and Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The defendant, Secretary of State and the Youth Justice Board accepted that the claimant’s removal from association had, in large part, been in breach of the Rules and that he had not received the education which he should have received. They further conceded that Article 8 had been breached because of the failure to apply the procedural requirements of r 49 of the Rules and relevant guidance for a specified period, which meant that the interference was not in accordance with the law.

The court held that the Rules on removal from association and education had been breached, and that Article 8 had been breached because the interference with his rights had not been in accordance with the law. Article 3 had not been breached, however.

Further information can be found here http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2017/1694.html

General police dutiesCase law

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 8

CrimeNAO report on online fraud

The National Audit Office has published a report on online fraud, specifically focusing on the Home Office and how it works with other bodies to tackle the crime. The report examines:

• the nature and scale of the current threat

• how the Home Office and others have responded to the threat

• the challenges and opportunities the Home Office and others face in reducing and preventing online fraud.

Key findings

• fraud is now the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales and most takes place online

• the response to online fraud is uneven across the banking sector

• setting up the Joint Fraud Taskforce, led by ministers, was a positive step but its success relies on voluntary participation from industry and law enforcement

• the Joint Fraud Taskforce has too narrow a focus on banking

• there is a lack of coordination and consistency in education campaigns to improve citizens and businesses’ cyber security

• the Home Office, through the taskforce, is seeking to deny criminals access to their proceeds from fraud

• the nature of online fraud makes it difficult to pursue and prosecute criminals

• there is a lack of data on how many fraudsters are prosecuted and concerns about the sentences fraudsters receive.

Policing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 9

Recommendations

The Home Office should:

• publish information with other taskforce partners, including banks and law enforcement agencies, on the Joint Fraud Taskforce’s performance and future plans

• identify and implement suitable accountability arrangements, including within the Joint Fraud Taskforce, so that the responsibilities of all partners for preventing and reducing online fraud are clear

• expand the membership of the Joint Fraud Taskforce to include other stakeholders, such as the retail and digital sectors

• establish arrangements with Joint Fraud Taskforce partners to identify, measure and track the benefits of its initiatives to reduce fraud, including setting baselines

• work with the City of London Police to improve collecting and reporting of data on fraud, in order to address intelligence gaps

• work with police and crime commissioners and chief constables to identify and share good-practice models of policing for tackling online fraud and support forces in making fraud a strategic priority

• commission HMIC to undertake a national thematic inspection of police forces’ performance in tackling fraud

• work with the Ministry of Justice to:

– improve data on fraud prosecutions to help inform future investigations and prosecutions

– examine sentencing guidelines on fraud – examine whether the impact on vulnerable victims is taken into account sufficiently in

sentencing.

Access the report in full www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Online-Fraud.pdf

CrimePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 10

Latest crime statistics published

The latest statistical bulletin draws on two main sources to measure crime levels and trends: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and police-recorded crime for the year ending December 2016. Comparing these figures to the comparable ones from the previous year’s survey and recordings, the bulletin examines what is happening to trends in crime and how trends for individual crime types have changed.

Commentary is provided on the latest violent crime figures and the rise in police-recorded offences involving weapons, among other crimes. In contrast to the previous year’s CSEW, questions of fraud and computer misuse were included in the survey year ending December 2016. The trends within this new fraud data are examined within the bulletin.

Access the full statistical bulletin www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdec2016

HOC 008/2017: a change to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to control 29 drugs

This Home Office circular draws attention to the contents of SI 2017/ 634, SI 2017/ 631 and SI 2017/ 632 which came into force at on 31 May 2017.

The Misuse of Drugs Act (Amendment) Order 2017 (the 2017 Order) classifies the following substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (The 1971 Act):

• the synthetic opioid U-47,700 as a Class A drug

• twelve methylphenidate related substances as Class B drugs

• sixteen ‘designer’ benzodiazepines as Class C drugs.

The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2017 (the 2017 Regulations) amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (the 2001 Regulations) to add all of the above substances to Schedule 1 since they have no recognised medicinal use outside of research in the United Kingdom. They have also been added to the list of designated substances to which section 7(4) of the 1971 Act applies for this reason.

This means that it will be unlawful to possess, supply, produce, import or export these controlled drugs except under a Home Office licence for research or ‘other special purposes’.

Further information can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/controlled-drugs-list--2

CrimePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 11 PolicePolicing practice

PoliceLatest statistics on the operation of powers under terrorism legislation

The latest statistics on the operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT 2000) and subsequent legislation have been published.

Key findings include

The year ending March 2017 saw the highest number of terrorism-related arrests (304) since the data collection began in September 2001, an increase of 18% compared with 258 arrests in the previous year.

Of the 304 arrests for terrorism-related offences in the year ending March 2017:

• 108 (36%) resulted in a charge

• 91 (84%) of these 108 were charged with terrorism-related offences

• 100 (33%) were released without charge

• 88 (29%) persons were released on bail pending further investigation

• 8 (3%) faced alternative action.

Court proceedings

In the year ending March 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorist Division completed 79 trials for terrorism-related offences, an increase of 55% on the 51 trials completed in the previous year. Of the 79 persons proceeded against:

• 68 (86%) were convicted

• in the remaining 11 cases, the defendant was acquitted.

Terrorist and extremist prisoners

As at 31 March 2017, there were 186 persons in custody in Great Britain for terrorism-related offences and domestic extremism/separatism, an increase of 15% on the 162 persons in custody during the previous year.

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 12

Stop and search

In the year ending March 2017:

• the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) carried out 453 stop and searches under section 43 of TACT 2000, a fall of 16% on the previous year

• over the same period, the number of resultant detentions halved, which led to a decrease in resultant arrests to 7%

• the number of examinations under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000 in Great Britain fell by 31% to 18,103 examinations

• there were 25 cordons set up in Great Britain in the year ending March 2017, 13 fewer than the number set up in the previous year.

Access the figures in full https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/619016/police-powers-terrorism-mar2017-hosb0817.pdf

Revised media relations guidance published for police

On 15 June 2017, forces in England and Wales were provided with new guidance promoting openness, transparency and a professional approach to working with the media, reflecting some of the key principles set out in the policing Code of Ethics.

The College of Policing’s media relations authorised professional practice (APP) outlines how officers and staff can work with the media to the benefit of the public. It comes after a six-week consultation involving the public, broadcast and print media, and police forces.

The guidance covers the following key areas:

• Code of Ethics principles including openness, transparency and confidentiality

• information about police investigations or ongoing operations

• identities of those under arrest

• taking the media on police operations

• the role of corporate communications departments

• police under investigation.

Further information can be found on the College of Policing website at http://www.college.police.uk/News/College-news/Pages/Media_APP_press_release_June_2017.aspx

PolicePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 13

HMIC report on response to harassment and stalking

HMIC and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have published a report following an inspection into the approach taken by the police and the CPS to tackling harassment and stalking.

The report found that, while there are many links between harassment and stalking, the police and the CPS frequently struggled to separate the two offences. Stalking in particular was misunderstood and, as a result, often went unrecognised. The absence of a single accepted, consistent definition of stalking was found to be a very significant contributory factor to the low number of recorded crimes and prosecutions.

The inspection found that reported crimes of harassment and stalking were sometimes not recorded at all and, when they were, they were sometimes not recorded correctly. The report also states that, as Police Information Notices (PINs) have no basis in law, they have not been used consistently and their use has not been monitored and analysed. The report recommends that PINS should be withdrawn from use immediately and recommendations have been made for a replacement in certain circumstances.

Summary of recommendations

The Home Office should:

• undertake a review of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 with particular reference to:

– including a provision for harassment causing serious distress to bring this into line with the stalking provisions

– defining stalking more clearly • ensure better recording practices for harassment and stalking crimes by changing the

Home Office Counting Rules for recorded crime so that harassment crimes are recorded in preference to any other crimes (in particular malicious communications) where it is obvious that there has been a ‘course of conduct’

• introduce protection orders for harassment crimes to close a gap in the current (and proposed) provision of orders.

Chief constables should:

• stop the use of PINs and their equivalents immediately to ensure that all victims of harassment and stalking are protected and crimes are investigated appropriately

• make sure stalking investigations are improved by ensuring that:

– officers are aware of the powers of entry and search for stalking and use them appropriately

– adequate records of these searches are compiled for audit and compliance purposes

PolicePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 14

• work with criminal justice partners to identify what programmes are available to manage offenders convicted of harassment and stalking offences in their respective force areas – in the absence of such programmes, they should review whether interventions could and should be established.

Chief constables and CPS area leads should:

• monitor and ensure compliance with the national stalking protocol.

The College of Policing should:

• ensure that there is a consistent and appropriate approach to harassment and stalking investigations by publishing the new harassment and stalking APP as a matter of urgency, to include:

– highlighting the complexities and risks associated with harassment and stalking offences, and advising forces to consider them as part of the crime allocation process

– using data on the power of search in stalking cases as best practice in audit and performance arrangements

– providing improved guidance to officers on crime prevention advice for victims, particularly about online offending

• consider how to raise awareness of the differences between harassment and stalking, including how to ensure that these crimes are correctly recorded – training provided to force crime registrars should incorporate a specific module on harassment and stalking.

The Crown Prosecution Service should:

• ensure that improvements are made to prosecuting harassment and stalking offences by:

– reinforcing and reiterating guidance to prosecutors on accepting pleas to harassment instead of pursuing stalking charges

– ensuring that all prosecutors have received training about harassment and stalking – monitoring and ensuring compliance with the national stalking protocol – considering the contents of this report, and the College of Policing APP when published,

and reviewing the current CPS legal guidance • ensure that prosecuting harassment and stalking offences is subject to continual

improvement by:

– introducing a process into scrutiny panels to examine harassment and stalking cases on a regular basis

– improving the process whereby lessons learned can be passed between CPS Direct and CPS Areas.

PolicePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 15

The College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service should:

• ensure that victims are properly protected through the use of restraining orders by respectively:

– revising the summary of evidence form to ensure a consistent and appropriate response to such applications

– providing clear guidance about applications for restraining orders.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council and CPS leads for harassment and stalking should:

• ensure that the investigation and prosecution of harassment and stalking offences is improved by:

– reviewing and reissuing the national stalking protocol to forces and CPS Areas – reviewing the stalking single point of contact system and ensuring that it is fully

effective and operating consistently for victims in all areas.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for harassment and stalking should:

• ensure that the risks to victims of harassment and stalking are properly assessed and managed by:

– commissioning work to develop an evidence-based approach to risk assessment in harassment and stalking crimes

– ensuring that any review considers whether a risk management plan should be included with any risk assessment tool

– advising forces that, until the above review has been completed, they should use a domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and honour-based violence risk identification, assessment and management model 30 (or equivalent) for all harassment and stalking crimes as an interim measure.

Access the report in full at http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/publications/living-in-fear-the-police-and-cps-response-to-harassment-and-stalking/

New guidance on death or serious injury incidents involving the police

The College of Policing has published new guidance on how police officers and staff should manage the events that follow an armed policing incident which leads to a death or serious injury. The post-deployment APP aims to balance the need for an open, full and independent investigation of any incident with managing any ongoing threat to the public, while attending to the welfare of those involved. The APP describes stages that can be taken to provide transparency, including considering separation, supervising officers and involving the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Access the guidance in full at https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/armed-policing/post-deployment/

PolicePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 16

IPCC review into handling allegations of discrimination

The IPCC has conducted a review of the way three large police forces deal with allegations of discrimination. The review is a follow-up to a 2014 review, to assess whether any progress has been made in the way police forces deal with complaints of discrimination against their officers and staff. The review looked at discrimination cases in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and West Midlands police forces completed during 2016. It sampled 88 cases, 11 of which were complaints made by police officers or staff and 77 of which were complaints from the public.

The review found:

• forces were communicating better with complainants

• there had been noticeable improvements in handling internally generated complaints from within the police forces, with the majority of allegations upheld

• there were still concerns about the way complaints from the public were dealt with – the quality of investigations and reports was unsatisfactory in two-thirds of cases examined and no complaints were upheld

• failings included not properly assessing the seriousness of the allegation, not asking probing questions and not seeking comparator evidence where relevant.

As well as working closely with the three forces reviewed, the IPCC made recommendations to all forces and has invited every force in England and Wales to submit an action plan.

Access the report in full at https://www.ipcc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/research_stats/Discrimination_report_2017.pdf

PolicePolicing practice

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 17

Criminal justice systemCriminal Justice Joint Inspection programme consultation

The four Criminal Justice Inspectorates have published a consultation which sets out the proposed joint inspection activity in the criminal justice system for 2017 to 2018. The Joint Secretariat welcomes any comments about the proposed work and, in particular, answers to the following questions:

1. Do any programmes of work duplicate, overlap or clash with inspections or other work you have planned (or are otherwise aware of) for 2017/18?

2. Are there any other subject areas which you believe warrant inclusion in our criminal justice joint inspection programme?

The consultation closes on 24 July 2017 and can be accessed in full at http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/cjji/about-cjji/joint-business-plan/

Hillsborough charging decisions

On June 28 Sue Hemming, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, announced that there is sufficient evidence to charge six individuals with criminal offences in relation to the Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath.

The full statement given by the Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division can be found at www.cps.gov.uk

New sentencing guidelines proposed for child cruelty and female genital mutilation offences

The Sentencing Council published new guidelines for sentencing offenders guilty of child cruelty in June 2017, which are now subject to public consultation. The guidelines cover three offences:

• cruelty to a child

• causing or allowing a child to die or suffer serious physical harm

• failing to protect a girl from the risk of female genital mutilation (FGM).

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 18

The guidelines have been designed to allow a better assessment of these complex offences to help ensure consistent and proportionate sentencing for the wide range of offending that comes before the courts. In assessing harm to victims, as well as physical and psychological harm, the guidelines for cruelty to a child take into account for the first time the developmental harm that such offences can cause to a victim. This may, for example, be manifested in developmental milestones that a child has not met.

The guidelines also introduce a new aggravating factor of an offender blaming others for an offence. This is because such cases will frequently involve one parent or carer/guardian seeking to blame the other for what happened in order to avoid prosecution.

The consultation on the draft guidelines runs until 13 September 2017 and can be accessed here.

New sentencing guidelines proposed for manslaughter offences

In July, the Sentencing Council announced a consultation on its proposals for how offenders convicted of manslaughter should be sentenced in England and Wales. This is the first time comprehensive guidelines have been drawn up for these very serious and difficult cases and the introduction of guidelines will promote consistency in sentencing and transparency in terms of how sentencing decisions are reached.

The draft guidelines cover four types of manslaughter:

• unlawful act manslaughter

• gross negligence manslaughter

• manslaughter by reason of loss of control

• manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

The consultation is seeking views on various areas of the draft guideline, including culpability and harm factors and the proposed sentence levels. It runs until 10 October 2017 and can be accessed on the Sentencing Council’s website here.

Criminal justice system

OFFICIALDigest June 2017

© College of Policing (2017)

OFFICIAL 19

Operation Lynemouth: First interim report

In March 2017, HMIC was asked to inspect an MPS operation into alleged criminal offences arising from the 2014 mayoral election in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The MPS investigated these allegations at the time, however, no criminal convictions followed, despite an election court ruling declaring the result of the election void. The court found that corrupt practices prevailed at the elections of both the mayor and the councillors for the 20 wards of Tower Hamlets.

As a result, the MPS confirmed that the force would carry out a new operation to reconsider the allegations – Operation Lynemouth.

It was agreed that HMIC should inspect and provide assurance of the operation and the first interim report by the HMIC has now been published on its website.

Access the report in full http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/operation-lynemouth-first-interim-report.pdf

Funding announced to tackle violence against women and girls

The Home Secretary has announced that 41 projects across England and Wales will share around £17m from the Violence against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund. The projects will carry out a range of activities, including providing support to victims, working with perpetrators of abuse to change their behaviour and helping to support children affected by what they have witnessed.

Access further information, including the full list of the projects, at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-awards-17m-to-tackle-violence-against-women-and-girls

Criminal justice system

C647|0717BetterEvidence

forBetterPolicing™

About the College

We’re the professional body for everyone who works for the police service in England and Wales. Our purpose is to provide those working in policing with the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent crime, protect the public and secure public trust.

college.police.uk