Modern Slavery Act 2015 review: first interim report

In July 2018, the Home Secretary, at the request of the Prime Minister, announced a review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The members of the review are Frank Field MP (chairman), Maria Miller MP and the Baroness Butler-Sloss. You can read the review’s terms of reference.

This is the first interim report from the review. As part of the review, the members were invited to give their views on the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. This report looks at the question of how to ensure the independence of the commissioner.

The report includes findings and a summary of recommendations.

Source: Gov.uk

Report: Police Tech Powers

With mobile tablets and body-worn video already as fundamental to a patrol officer’s toolkit as the truncheon and whistle a century ago, the next wave of innovation in policing will be driven by technology startups producing robots and drones, advanced surveillance capabilities, artificial intelligence and new predictive policing tools. The published report:

• Analyses actual police force contract and invoice data to gather a general picture of how technology is purchased by forces today
• Outlines barriers to entry for new tech startups, including traditional procurement models, contract lock-in with large vendors, and a lack of market scalability
• Makes recommendations for the Home Office, including the mandate to set common standards for inter-operable technology systems
• Details how a new public investment vehicle, modelled on the CIA’s IN-Q-TEL venture fund can stimulate the latent market for innovative tech solutions
• Showcases the Police Tech Pioneers – the 75 most promising police technology startups from around the world, segmented into 3 broad operational themes and 15 areas of business

Source: Public

Evidence & Disclosure – Rape Victim’s Phones

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced an inquiry into whether privacy or data protection regulations are being routinely breached in the criminal justice system.

The investigation follows concerns raised by the campaign group Big Brother Watch and other groups about the way private material is collected, analysed and disclosed to detectives, prosecutors and defence lawyers.

There have been multiple complaints from victims and support organisations alleging “excessive use of victims’ personal information in cases of rape and serious sexual assault”. A concern is the Stafford statement, the consent form victims are asked to sign giving police access to their personal data.

Establishing precisely what material is relevant to any rape or sexual assault prosecutions is often the subject of legal dispute. Disputes over late disclosure by police of crucial evidence in rape and sex offences led to scores of cases collapsing this year. A government review found disclosure failings had caused “untold damage” to victims and suspects.

Senior officers have accused the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for “raising the bar” of evidence needed for a charge, in the wake of a series of rape cases which collapsed over undisclosed messages.

The CPS insists its regulations have not changed, but admits giving more “pre-charge advice” to investigators and holding refresher training for rape prosecutors earlier this year.

The new director of public prosecutions has pledged that victims’ mobile phones will not be seized “as a matter of course” in criminal investigations.

MetPol Facial Recognition Trial

Christmas shoppers in London near Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, could have their faces scanned in central London this week as part of a police trial.

The operation is one of a series stretching back to last year where police have trialed the technology in areas such as Stratford’s Westfield Shopping Centre and Notting Hill. The central London trial is set to take place again on Tuesday.

Ivan Balhatchet, the Met Police’s strategic lead for live facial technology, said: “The Met is currently developing the use of live facial recognition technology and we have committed to ten trials during the coming months. We are now coming to the end of our trials when a full evaluation will be completed.”

Source: Telegraph

Serious Fraud Office Director on how to increase law enforcement cooperation over international boundaries

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has published the keynote address at the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Conference in Washington DC, delivered by SFO Director Lisa Osofsky on 28 November 2018. 

Osofsky outlined actions needed to be taken by law enforcement, which included:

• working closer together across the globe
• looking for greater cooperation from the private sector
• making better use of technology
• leaving stronger mechanisms in place in the wake of cases so that corruption cannot grow back

Osofsky also defined what corporate cooperation is. It includes:

• making documents, financial records and witness available promptly
• pointing law enforcement to the most important evidence, not burying them in a ‘document dump’
• making evidence available in way that comports with local laws and is actively useful
• not doing things that create proof issues for law enforcement or create procedural barriers

Additionally, she outlined how the SFO is using technology to:

• help reach and understand the varied ways criminals communicate
• lead it to inculpatory and exculpatory documents
• meet the discovery obligations it has in criminal trials in the UK

Police Funding Settlement announced 2019/20

In mid-December the Home Office announced the provisional police funding settlement of up to £14 billion for 2019/2020. This is made up of £7.8bn general government grants and up to £510m from a potential uplift of the Council Tax Precept. The settlement includes £175m for the Police Transformation Fund, £816m for counter-terrorism policing, and £153m to help meet the estimated increased pension costs of £330 million.  However, the Home Office has also said Forces must still ‘identify opportunities to improve efficiency and productivity and … contribute to commercial savings, so that more resources can be freed up for front-line crime fighting’.

Sharing information with Immigration Enforcement

New NPCC guidance has been developed on sharing of information between the police and Immigration Enforcement about victims of crime who are identified as being in the UK illegally.  The aim is to achieve a consistent approach across the country. Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Immigration Crime, said: “We have recently set out a clear position on exchanging information about victims of crime with immigration enforcement to encourage a consistent approach across the country.  Chief constables have endorsed this position and are amending local policies accordingly.”

Extra 115 police officers planned for West Mercia under budget proposals

The plans to increase Council Tax in Shropshire could see an extra 115 police officers for West Mercia police.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Policing guidance

The College of Policing has published guidance on identifying and managing PTSD. The report defines Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, sets out potential risk factors, describes the skills that can help reduce the impact and provides examples from police officers who have experienced trauma.   In introducing the report, Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, NPCC Wellbeing and Engagement Lead, says “by understanding how trauma affects us we can move from ignorance to awareness, from negativity to positivity, and from pessimism to hope”.

Home Office Preparations for the UK exiting the EU

A report on the Home Offices’ preparations for Brexit has been published. The report highlights the risks for policing, security and crime within the current withdrawal agreement.

“The transitional arrangements secured in the withdrawal agreement are vital for the UK in all three areas, because no adequate preparations have been made for other arrangements to be put in place. Leaving the EU without a transitional period would put security and border operations at significant risk.

The political declaration is seriously lacking in detail and provides insufficient clarity about both the future security partnership and future arrangements at the border. There is a real danger that the UK’s position will be weakened in the future partnership. The Government has provided a distinct lack of information on its immigration proposals, and of time for Parliament to consider them before the vote on the deal.

On security and policing issues, continued cooperation between the UK and the EU via Europol, criminal databases and through extradition arrangements are all crucial. We are very concerned by the lack of clarity offered by the political declaration about each mechanism. We are deeply disappointed at the EU’s resistance to UK participation in the Second Generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) database given the importance of this security cooperation to both the UK and the EU. There has also been a concerning lack of progress in securing the UK’s future relationship with Europol and the European Arrest Warrant. As it stands there is a significant risk that the UK and the EU are facing a security downgrade.

We are also concerned that insufficient preparations have been made for negotiating the security treaty. The lack of a security backstop in the withdrawal agreement means there is a real risk that the transitional arrangements will expire before the future security partnership is concluded, and therefore there will be a security shortfall. We are concerned that security arrangements are being subordinated to the trade arrangements and political considerations.”

Source: House of Commons Home Affairs Committee