The government has announced that there will be new legislation designed to cut “crime and build safer communities”. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is intended to give the police “the powers and tools they need to protect themselves and the public”. The measures include: Positions of trust – existing legislation will be widened to include…
Police forces must explain the disproportionate use of police powers such as stop and search and use of force on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people or risk losing the trust of the communities they serve, a report published today has found. The Police Service Inspectorate (HMICFRS) aid that despite having more data on the…
On 1 April 2020, The Release of Prisoners (Alteration of Relevant Proportion of Sentence) Order 2020 came into force. This statutory instrument’s effect was to alter the early release provisions for some offenders receiving relatively determinate lengthy custodial sentences. By way of example, an offender who received a sentence of 12 years imprisonment would be…
Currently, all parole hearings are held in private – this is set out in legislation in the Parole Board Rules. Following a consultation exercise, the government has now committed to opening up the hearings and allowing public access. Legislative change is expected in the next few months. The government has stated that: ‘…we are persuaded…
The Morning After the Night Before … When people think about drink/drug driving, it is often based on a narrative that involves a man, leaving a pub late at night, driving erratically and being stopped by the police. This scenario is sometimes the backdrop to an arrest for drink or drug driving, but more often,…
