London Training & Resource Centre

5,000 Foreign Criminals Removed From UK Last Year

2008-12-31T00:00:00+01:00

A record number of foreign law-breakers have been removed from the country over the past 12 months.

The UK Border Agency figures show that it met the government’s target of removing 5,000 foreign law-breakers in 2008, exceeding last year’s total of 4,200. Those removed include 50 killers and attempted killers, 200+ sex offenders and 1,500+ drug offenders.

The UK Border Agency has been working with the Prison Service in prisons to ensure that those who come here and break the law are removed as quickly as possible (roughly one in five foreign prisoners are currently removed directly from prison 180 days before their release date).

According to Border & Immigration Minister Phil Woolas:

‘Britain will not tolerate those that come here and break our rules, which is why we set the UK Border Agency the tough target of removing 5,000 foreign lawbreakers this year.

‘By exceeding this target we’re showing once again that there’s no place in Britain for those that continue to abuse our trust.’

Other immigration milestones introduced in 2008 include:

Hi-tech electronic checking of passengers entering the UK against police watch-lists;
On the stop fines for employers who hire illegal workers;
A new Australian-style points system for foreign workers;
Issuing the first identity cards to foreign nationals who are here legally.

For editors:

See the UK Border Agency site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Operation Argon Knives & Guns Crackdown

2008-12-24T00:00:00+01:00

Random under cover spot checks of pub and club security has taken Metropolitan officers to nearly one hundred and fifty venues as part of Operation Argon.

Argon, the Met's Christmas crack-down on people carrying knives and guns in and around the Capital's licensed premises started on 15 December.

Undercover officers have been going into clubs to gather intelligence. Outside the clubs officers have been carrying out spot checks on door staff, making sure they're playing their part in keeping clubbers safe. So far seven door staff have been caught by police working without a licence.

Firearms officers have been out working as part of an intelligence led operation to stop cars police know are linked to weapons, aiming to make it as hard possible for criminals to move around. During the nights of Friday 19 and Saturday 20 December, police stopped fourteen cars that intelligence had been gathered on.
One stop in Lambeth on Saturday night resulted in the arrest of an 18-year-old man for being in possession of what is believed to be thirty rocks of crack, a block of cannabis resin and nine bags of heroin.

During the festive period police will be out in force with 'flying' screening arches to support door staff by sending queues of clubbers through police arches. This highly mobile team will travel London, responding to intelligence and could turn up anywhere. Over the weekend police used the flying arches at five venues.

Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Ball, who's in charge of the operation said:

'Argon is about keeping people safe as they go out to enjoy themselves in London's pubs and clubs this Christmas time. We're also focused on making the Capital as hostile an environment as possible for criminals carrying weapons to move around and stop them taking them inside pubs and clubs.

'The overwhelming majority of venues are safely and professionally run. The licensing industry knows only too well the devastating impacts a shooting or stabbing can have. We're focusing our attention on supporting bar managers in making searching as robust as can be and in identifying those places with lax security that cast a shadow over the responsible trade.

'The consequences of someone taking weapons into a club or pub can be fatal. Building on the success of last year we've developed our tactics to keep one step ahead of criminals.'

Police will use intelligence to search areas where criminals may have stashed weapons thinking they can flout club and bar security.

Argon is running until 3 January 2009.

For editors:

See the Metropolitan Police site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Police To Cut Red Tape

2008-12-23T00:00:00+01:00

From January 2009 police forces will axe the lengthy Stop and Account form and cut the level of form-filling for most crimes.

Forces will only be required to record ethnicity rather than complete the current lengthy Stop and Account forms, which on average takes 10 minutes to complete on the street. They will also make more use of their radio airwaves and other mobile technologies.

The government announced changes to deliver the challenging recommendations of Sir Ronnie Flanagan's Review of Policing.

The changes could save up to seven million hours of policing time (which should equate to 3,500 extra police officers on the streets).

As well as axing the Stop and Account form, the Home Office has brought forward the national changes to crime recording, four months earlier than planned. From next week, all forces will be able to remove forms for less serious crimes to free-up more police officers on the beat.

The Home Secretary also announced that following a successful pilot, collecting data from under 16s in the British Crime Survey from January 2009 will take place.

The results of a national statistics consultation, (published this month), show the decision to extend the British Crime Survey to include under 16s has been welcomed.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

'This is a major step towards delivering the recommendations of Sir Ronnie Flanagan's report on cutting red tape. I am determined to support our police officers so that they spend more time out on your streets, fighting the crimes and issues that matter to you locally.

'These new procedures mean that a Stop and Account form which could take up to 10 minutes to complete has been replaced by 'two-clicks' of a radio.'

For editors:

See the Home Office site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Fire & Rescue Service Pioneers Hi-Tech Radio Equipment

2008-12-23T00:00:00+01:00

County Durham & Darlington Fire and Rescue Service is the first FRS in Great Britain to complete installing new digital radio communications equipment (Firelink).

Firelink gives the fire service the ability to communicate with police and ambulance command centres, vital when dealing with major incidents, as they will now be on the same radio network. The new equipment provides the FRS with clearer voice communications than current systems.

The Firelink radio and communications system is part of a £1 billion investment by Communities and Local Government to improve FRS capability to deal with all types of incident, including major emergencies such as industrial accidents, severe weather or terrorist activity.

Fire Minister Sadiq Khan said:

'Thanks to Government investment, for the first time, crews in Fire and Rescue Services vehicles will be able to communicate directly with the control and command centres of all fire services in Great Britain. Firelink also provides the FRS with the ability to communicate with police and ambulance command centres. This will help them all deal with any kind of emergency - industrial accident, severe weather or terrorist activity.

'With 100 vehicles now fitted with Firelink equipment, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue is a pioneer in using the new digital radios in Great Britain.

'The new Firelink communications equipment means that when the new control centres are operational, it will be possible to effectively deploy the nearest available and suitable fire appliance or special rescue vehicle to an incident. This will result in greater resilience, information and incident support for firefighters, and a better service to the public - for both day to day and major incidents.'

County Durham & Darlington's Chief Executive Susan Johnson, welcoming the completion said:

'We are delighted to be the first Fire and Rescue Service to be fully equipped with this latest generation radio and communications system. This is another example of the excellent work undertaken by our team to deliver a major project ahead of schedule. The introduction of the new system will be of great benefit to all Fire and Rescue Services both now and in the future.'

The new Firelink system has already been installed in England's current FRS control rooms, and will become operational as equipment is installed in each service's vehicles. Its operation will transfer to the new FireControl national network of linked regional control centres by 2012.

For editors:

See the CLG site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Countdown Begins to Local Government Changes

2008-12-22T00:00:00+01:00

The 100 day countdown to the biggest transformation of local government for 30 years has begun.

Local Government Minister John Healey said that plans to replace 44 councils across 7 counties on 1 April next year are on track and with 100 days to go, he called on the new councils to step up their efforts to explain to local people how these changes will make a difference to their lives - through better services, a bigger say in local decisions and stronger community leadership through these tough economic times.

The new councils have also committed to make combined savings of over £100 million, which can be re-invested in front-line services or used to reduce pressure on council tax.

44 local councils across Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire will be replaced by nine new unitary authorities. Over the last few months Healey has met with those people working hard to transform local government in all these areas as well as local residents who will be affected.

The Minister has been impressed with efforts to ensure that these new councils will be up and running delivering top quality services from day one. But he said more needs to be done to explain the changes to the public itself - especially the benefits it will bring.

For example:

Central Bedfordshire has an ambitious plan to reshape childrens' services and improve academic results, creating a more co-ordinated, family-oriented school system, and uniting local leisure, libraries and sports coaching facilities;
Cornwall Council will provide 22 One stop shops/walk in centres across the county. People will be able to meet local councillors, access council services or Citizens Advice, and get information, advice and guidance about any council service. A mobile service will be set up to reach the more rural areas;
Cheshire East Council will provide targeted community policing as well as debt advice to those affected by the present economic downturn. Vulnerable people will benefit from expanded social care, with co-ordinated home visits by multi-skilled professionals;
Durham's new council will provide a single number for all services, and plans to expand its recycling and home composting services. 75 per cent of Durham's households will soon be able to use the composting service, reducing the amount of garden waste sent to landfill each year;
Northumberland's new Council will introduce a new housing scheme giving tenants more flexibility over their housing choices. The new system is designed to be more straightforward with only 1 form to fill in for access to any kind of property scheme;
Shropshire's Council will invest their savings in local services, with £5 million in public transport, equalising concessionary fares across the county. They will also provide free swimming for under-16s and older people and access to £1.7 million funding for local community activities;
Wiltshire Council have already made £3.4 million in savings through staff reductions to avoid duplication. They plan to substantially improve their customer access, with a single telephone number for all services and customer centres in main offices and locations across the county.

Healey said:

‘In 100 days time 44 councils across 7 counties will be replaced with 9 new unitary councils, serving over 3 million people. This represents the biggest transformation of local government for 30 years and means that 60% of the population will now be served by single unitary councils.

‘This isn't a bureaucratic process of redrawing maps or changing names, and it's not a 24-hour makeover.This is about making a real difference to people's lives. These new councils have committed to delivering better services, giving people a bigger say in decisions that affect them and making combined savings of over £100 million to be re-invested in front-line services or used to reduce pressure on council tax. And through stronger leadership they will help their communities ride out these tough economic times.

‘From my visits to all of these areas I have seen first hand the huge efforts being made to ensure councils are not only up and running but also delivering top quality services from day one. The final countdown begins today but I am confident plans are on track and efforts will continue over the next 100 days. I want these councils to also use this time to step up efforts to tell local people about the changes and how they will benefit. Whether a single telephone number to access all services in Wiltshire or free swimming for children and old people in Shropshire I want local people to know what to expect from their new council from day one.’

For editors:

See the CLG site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

The Met Gears-Up For New Year's Eve

2008-12-22T00:00:00+01:00

The Metropolitan Police is gearing up for one of its busiest nights of the year.

Superintendent Brian Pearce, Met spokesperson, said:

'Across London on 31 December people will be going out and about to see in the New Year. Our officers will be taking to the streets to make sure that seeing in the New Year is a celebration for everyone.'

A dedicated policing operation will be put in place this year to support the GLA, and event organisers Jack Morton at the fireworks display in central London.
Superintendent Pearce continued:

'Hundreds of thousands of people used to travel to central London when there was nothing for them to see or do. Now with such a world-class fireworks display being staged the centre of town is more popular than ever before.

'Sadly, not everyone sets out just for a fun night out. There are those criminals who will use the cover of crowds to commit crime, so help yourself by keeping a close eye on all your belongings.'

Part of the Met's policing plan includes podiums that provide officers with a bird's eye view of crowds in Leicester Square, and allow them to watch out for troublemakers and criminals.

The viewing area for the firework display is a very popular part of central London. Event organisers will close off parts to the public as they become full.

Superintendent Pearce concluded: "The popularity of the display means that these areas get full early on and are then closed to the public by the event organisers to keep people safe.

'The additional crowds who gather for the display, as well as the people who go to traditional New Year's Eve areas like Leicester Square and Trafalgar plus the thousands of people in all the bars and clubs all need to get home. This can mean huge numbers of people trying to get into tube and rail stations at the same time.'

For editors:

See the Metropolitan Police site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

New Policing & Crime Bill

2008-12-18T00:00:00+01:00

The new policing & crime bill is designed to keep the public safer and to increase police accountability.

The bill requires the government to work with police to give the public more information about crime in their neighbourhood, and more say in how their communities are policed.

It creates a new offence of 'paying for sex with a prostitute who is controlled for gain', designed to protect women who have been trafficked to the UK for the sex trade. It also tightens laws regarding loitering, kerb-crawling and brothels, and reclassifies lap dancing clubs so they require a sex establishment licence. This will give local residents more say on where strip bars can operate.

The bill also includes a mandatory code of practice for stores selling alcohol, and expands police powers to help them deal with the issue of young people drinking in public. The legal changes are backed up by enforcement: police forces will be regularly inspected to ensure they are visible and working to increase the public's confidence in them.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the public should have the right to expect the police to focus on the crimes that matter to them.

'The new policing and crime bill will ensure that the police and local authorities tackle the issues that matter to you, such as alcohol related crime and disorder, prostitution and lap dancing clubs.'

Key measures in the bill include:

Creating stronger ties between airport security and police;
Giving wider powers to UK Border Agency officers to question travellers and require passports and travel documents;
Complying with international conventions such as the Schengen Information System II, and introducing more efficient systems in extradition issues;
Making sure that people with football banning orders in England and Wales are banned from matches in Scotland and Northern Ireland;
Making it easier for employers to check the backgrounds of people applying for work with children or vulnerable adults.

For editors:

See the policing and crime bill on the UK Parliament site:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Work Restrictions Continue for Bulgarians & Romanians

2008-12-18T00:00:00+01:00

The government has announced that Bulgarians and Romanians will not get free access to the British labour market.

The decision, which follows advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), ensures that the interests of British workers are protected, and that those migrant workers who can come here to work have skills that are needed.

Residents of Bulgaria and Romania have had only limited access to British jobs since they joined the European Union in January 2007.

Skilled workers the country needs have always been able to come to the UK to work, but access to low-skilled jobs has been restricted to the seasonal agricultural workers scheme (SAWS) and the sector-based scheme (SBS) for food processing.
The decision to keep those restrictions in place means that the UK can continue to benefit from the positive economic contribution Bulgarian and Romanian workers make, while continuing to monitor the impact of their accession on the labour market.

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas called the move 'prudent', and said that it would protect British workers.

He said, 'It is essential that only those we need can come here to work, and that is why we have decided to continue restricting the work that Bulgarian and Romanians can do here.

'We have already suspended tier three of the points based system to stop low skilled migrants from outside the European economic area entering the UK.'

As part of today’s announcement the Home Office increased the quota for the seasonal agricultural workers scheme, following advice from the MAC, which identified worker shortages.

In 2009, the number of Bulgarians and Romanians admitted under the scheme will increase from 16,250 to 21,250. The quota for the sector-based scheme for food processing will remain at 3,500.

For editors:

See the Home Office site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Police Accountability Starts With London Councils

2008-12-18T00:00:00+01:00

The Policing and Crime Bill is a missed opportunity to increase local accountability of the police in the capital, according to London Councils.

While the leaders of London's local authorities are happy that plans for directly elected police representatives have been dropped, they apparently fear that the government now risks shying away from delivering full police accountability to local people.

The London Councils organisation however has urged them to back a range of proposals which would deliver police accountability, such as giving boroughs a bigger role in the recruitment and support of their local police commander.

Other proposals include for part of the local policing budget to be used for commissioning local community safety initiatives with the council and other partners, for borough police commanders to be part of the local council's senior management team, and for councillors to be represented directly on the Metropolitan Police Authority board.

London Councils also wants local police forces to have greater flexibility to concentrate on local issues, rather than on nationally agreed targets, with more co-ordination with councils on consulting with and holding meetings for local residents.
London Councils' Executive Member for Crime and Public Protection, Councillor Jason Stacey, said:

'While the government is correct to drop plans for directly elected police representatives, we must not risk abandoning altogether the principle of police services being made more accountable to their local community.

'Local people must feel that the police are listening to and acting on their concerns, and local authorities, with their experience of being accountable to their communities - will be invaluable in helping the police stay in tune with the public.

'This cannot truly be achieved through ad-hoc arrangements but needs real accountable leadership at a local level to connect communities and the police. The government has the opportunity to deliver this through the Policing and Crime Bill, and I urge them to back our proposals.'

For editors:

See the UK Border Agency site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Report on Fire & Rescue Service

2008-12-17T00:00:00+01:00

A new Audit Commission's study acknowledges the rapid change England's Fire and Rescue Service has undergone over the past 10 years and states that, overall, performance by the fire and rescue service is good.

Considerable efficiency savings of £197.3 million against a target of £105 million in SR04 have also been achieved. The Commission's report confirms these savings have been achieved at the same time as the service has helped deliver the lowest level of fire deaths in the UK since 1959.

Fire Minister Sadiq Khan said:

‘I am pleased that the Audit Commission's report recognises the good work of the Fire service.

‘We will continue to challenge those failing to make good progress on efficiency and work with the Fire and Rescue Service to recognise and spread good practice and innovation.

‘However, we share the Audit Commission's view that a more representative workforce would assist the service to connect with the different communities most at risk from fire. We are working with the FRS and investing £2 million to achieve better progress. Equality and diversity needs to be embedded in every aspect of the Fire and Rescue Service's work.'

The Commission's main findings also include:

The significant efficiency savings achieved in SR04 vary considerably between fire and rescue authorities and that there is still significant scope for efficiencies nationally;
There is no common relationship between the size, governance structure or locality in determining successful delivery - all fire and rescue authorities are capable of achieving excellence;
Improved regional and local collaboration will lead to greater efficiencies and effectiveness.

For editors:

The Audit Commission National Study Fire Modernisation is available on audit-commission.gov.uk/

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Gary Bellamy Qualifies for A1 Assessor Award

2008-12-16T00:00:00+01:00

Congratulations to Gary Bellamy from Chelmer Housing Partnership who has recently qualified for his A1 Assessor Award.

After a successful four year programme, LT&RC is now not taking any more registrations for the NVQ or A1 Assessor. If you are still interested in gaining these qualifications, please contact us and we can signpost you to the relevant training organisation.

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark

Dealing With Crime & DNA

2008-12-16T00:00:00+01:00

In a speech, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith called for new 'common sense standards' for the use of investigatory powers and the retention of DNA profiles.

She said she wants to strengthen how The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) is used, and how and when DNA profiles are retained as part of a national database.

In her speech to the Intellect Trade Association, she said the process would get underway with a series of consultations early in the new year on these controversial topics.

The Home Secretary said, 'While the vast majority of the investigations carried out under RIPA are important – like protecting the public from dodgy traders, trapping fly tippers who dump tonnes of rubbish on an industrial scale across the countryside, or tackling the misery caused by noisy and disruptive neighbours – there are clearly cases where these powers should not be used.

'I don’t want to see these powers being used to target people for putting their bins out on the wrong day, for dog fouling offences, or to check whether paper boys are carrying sacks that are too heavy.'

A consultation on the use of RIPA will examine:

The codes of practice behind RIPA;
Which public authorities can use RIPA powers;
How those powers are approved in each case, and who can authorise their use.

She also plans to consult on how to ensure that RIPA powers meet tests of safeguards, openness, proportionality and common sense.

Smith said, 'The public is our best defence against crime and terrorism. But I know people will not thank us if the systems we design to protect them are too intrusive.'

Discussing the issues surrounding the government's use of DNA, she said they must think carefully about how long to keep DNA evidence, and whose DNA to keep.
She said the use of DNA in police investigations has been 'one of the breakthroughs for modern policing.'

'It’s an area where I’m proud to say that Britain is leading the world. However, the strengths of the DNA database can only be safeguarded if they enjoy the confidence and trust of the public.'

Currently, DNA evidence is being stored on people regardless of whether or not they were ultimately convicted of a crime.

Consultations in coming months will look at many issues surrounding DNA, including:

Whether the rules on DNA should tie into the seriousness of the crime committed, and possibly the age of the offender;
Whether the rules on retaining DNA samples need to change;
Whether police can retrospectively take samples after conviction;
Whether police can take samples from people convicted of crimes overseas.

Some actions will be taken soon, though: she will take immediate steps to remove the DNA of children younger than 10 from the database.

The proposed changes will be designed to produce a more proportionate, fair and common sense approach to storing DNA.

For editors:

See the Home Office site for more:

Stumble It! Comment Delicious Bookmark