Prisons and Justice

22 August, 2016

The Government has set out wide ranging new measures to tackle extremism in prisons.
Islamist extremism is a danger to society and a threat to public safety – it must be defeated wherever it is found. We are committed to confronting and countering the spread of this poisonous ideology behind bars. It stands against fundamental British values – our love of individual liberty, democracy and free speech.
 
That is why the Government will be isolating the most dangerous extremists from the main prison population. These prisoners will be held in ‘specialist units’ in the high security estate. Prison officers and governors will be empowered and have been instructed to ban extremist literature and to remove anyone from Friday prayers who is promoting anti-British beliefs or other dangerous views. They will be supported by a new directorate for Security, Order and Counter-Terrorism, responsible for monitoring and dealing with this evolving threat.

 Preventing the most dangerous extremists from radicalising other prisoners is essential to the safe running of our prisons and fundamental to public protection. Prisons should allow criminals to be reformed and turned into law-abiding citizens. This is why we are acting decisively to prevent prisoners being radicalised – and to deal with those who wish this country harm.

 

March 23, 2016

The Home Secretary will launch the Government’s new Modern Crime Prevention Strategy today.

Over the last twenty years, we have seen dramatic falls in ‘traditional’ high volume crimes across the UK and the Western world. But crime and criminality are changing. The internet and new technology offer criminals the scope to offend on an unprecedented scale and across jurisdictions. And there is an urgent need to do more to tackle the victimisation of vulnerable people through crimes that have often been under-reported in the past.

That is why we will launch a new Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, based on six key drivers of crime – opportunity, character, the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System, profit, drugs and alcohol. It also contains proposals to make crime harder to commit in certain situations or in relation to certain products, and less profitable for criminals. It brings to bear the latest techniques – from behavioural economics to data analytics – and seeks collaboration from a wide variety of partners including government, law enforcement, businesses and the public.

There is no doubt that better crime prevention contributed significantly to the sharp falls in ‘traditional’ crimes in recent years. We must understand what worked previously and apply that rationale to tackle new, emerging or previously hidden crime types.

 

 

January 20, 2016

New powers will be given to help the police make the most of police volunteers’ specialist skills – including in tackling cyber and financial crime.

Police officers across the country carry out a wide range of duties, keeping the public safe and ensuring justice for the most vulnerable members of society. We value the essential role they play, but they cannot do this on their own.

That’s why we’re taking action to help forces to create a more flexible workforce, bring in new skills and free up officers’ time to focus on the jobs only they can carry out. At the same time, we’re also encouraging those with skills in particular demand, such as those with specialist IT or accountancy skills, to work alongside police officers to investigate cyber or financial crime, and help officers and staff fight crime more widely.

We are committed to finishing the job of police reform and the upcoming Policing and Crime Bill will help to do just that – so that families can rely on the security of an efficient and effective police force that will be there for them when they need it.

 

 

 June 1, 2015

Nespapers speculate today on the Conservative policy of replacing Labour’s Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.The Government’s policy is set out in the manifesto and is shared by Theresa May, the Prime Minister and the whole Cabinet.

 

This Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise human rights in the UK. We will restore common sense to human rights in this country, which has been undermined by the damaging effects of Labour’s Human Rights Act.

 

Our British Bill of Rights will protect existing rights, which are an essential part of a modern, democratic society, and better protect against abuses of the system and misuse of human rights laws.