Source: Home Office published on this website Tuesday 21 February 2023 by Jill Powell

Domestic abusers will face tags and tougher management under new measures to protect women and girls.

The new proposals go further than ever before in protecting women and girls from harassment, aggression and violence, and focus on stopping domestic abuse before it takes place.

The law will be changed so that the most dangerous domestic abusers will be watched more closely. For the first time, controlling or coercive behaviour will be put on a par with physical violence, which will mean offenders sentenced to a year or more imprisonment or a suspended sentence will automatically be actively managed by the police, prison and probation services under multi-agency public protection arrangements. A range of agencies will have a legal duty to cooperate to manage the risks posed by these dangerous offenders. This will make it easier to deliver a joined-up approach to protect the public.

While we are pursuing this legislation, police and the probation service will start work immediately to ensure that from now offenders sentenced to a year or more for controlling and coercive behaviour are recorded on the violent and sex offender register, so that they don’t fall through the cracks.

In addition, abusers could be fitted with a tag, prevented from going within a certain distance of a victim’s home, and made to attend a behaviour change programme, as part of a trial of domestic abuse protection notices and domestic abuse protection orders in three areas in the UK.

Also from today (20 February), those at risk of, or suffering from, domestic abuse will be able to receive emergency help from one of 18 jobcentres and jobs and benefit offices across the UK, and a new postcode checker will tell them their nearest location to access the service.

The Ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately) scheme is already in operation in over 5,000 pharmacies across the UK in over 88 cities, towns and villages. It is delivered in partnership with Hestia’s Safe Spaces. Anyone who is suffering from or fearful of domestic abuse can ask for ANI, and they will be guided to a safe and private space and offered support to call the police or specialist domestic abuse services.
 
Since the scheme launched in 2021, the emergency support has been accessed on average once a week.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Source: Internet Watch Foundation published on this site Wednesday 23 February 2022 by Jill Powell

‘They know they are about to witness some of the most upsetting things ever uploaded onto the internet’. 

On a cold morning, standing in a frosty car park on the outskirts of Cambridge, a figure in a winter coat is fumbling with a hot coffee and a key fob.

They’re ready for a day which they already know will see them make a real and positive difference to some of the most vulnerable and defenceless children in the world.

They also know they are about to witness some of the most appalling, most upsetting things ever uploaded onto the internet.

At the Internet Watch Foundation is a specialised taskforce unit which assesses and grades some of the worst child sexual abuse material in the world.

The people on this team view images from the UK Government’s Child Abuse Image Database (CAID). They are the only non-law-enforcement agency allowed to do this.

Once they have assessed them according to UK law, the images are hashed – a process which reduces them to a unique digital fingerprint used by tech companies and police all over the world – they can be blocked and removed rapidly, wherever criminals may attempt to share them.

All the IWF’s analysts and content assessors work from the office. The hotline is specifically set up as a secure and appropriate environment.

The taskforce team works part-time – and their exposure to the videos and images they are grading is strictly limited to four hours a day.

The team works with the IWF’s own breakthrough IIntelliGrade hashing tool – meaning their work can have a real impact all over the globe.

When they arrive at the office, the team members take a few minutes to settle in and chat – to discuss Bake Off, or to catch up with each other.

Cambridge Graduate Alex*, 22, took the decision to join the taskforce straight out of university.

He said: “For someone on the outside, our job might seem quite repetitive. Image after image coming through. There is no escaping it. We go through the images one by one, or sometimes multiple images all at once.

“We all have different ways of dealing with the relentlessness of it.”

One of Alex’s strategies is to bake.

A gifted pastry chef – Alex creates magnificent, show stopping cakes in his spare time. It’s always a special day in the office when one of Alex’s creations is brought in for sharing.

It’s just one of the things the staff do to bring them closer together as a team.

Kirsty*, 56, is a grandmother from Newmarket. With her past in the Metropolitan Police, Kirsty says assessors must be strong do deal with the “pure volume” of child sexual abuse on the internet.

“I have always had a passion for helping children,” she said. “Having children and grandchildren has opened my eyes to the pure volume of abuse that is out there.”

She said the camaraderie of staff in the IWF hotline helps deal with difficult situations when they arise.

“We are a very humorous team,” she said. “A bit of laughter is very important. The work can mean dealing with quite grim stuff, but being able to talk and have a bit of humour with your colleagues is important.”

Cambridgeshire mum Beth*, 40, said: “I have three children 11 and under. The job has changed the way I think about them and the internet.

“It has surprised me how much material there is of very young children. Some of them are five, six, or seven years old.”

She said one of the ways staff cope is by talking to each other and staying tight as a team.

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this site Tuesday 22 November 2022 by Jill Powell

There is no excuse for domestic abuse’ the Crown Prosecution Service has said as cases are expected to rise during the World Cup.

Stark figures published last year by the National Centre for Domestic Violence uncovered the shocking reality that incidents of domestic abuse increase following England games.

Data showed reported incidents increased by 26 percent if England play, 38 percent if England lose, and 11 percent the next day, win or lose.

This is of huge concern for the Crown Prosecution Service as reports of domestic abuse continue to rise, with the CPS determined to do all it can to bring perpetrators of this abhorrent crime to justice and provide protection for victims.

Kate Brown, CPS Domestic Abuse lead, said: “There is no excuse for domestic abuse.

“Watching football should be a time when people can enjoy and share their passion for their favourite team, but sadly, the game is marred by this tragic reality.

“There is no hiding behind football as a reason for such cowardly and cruel abuse - and we are determined to see dangerous abusers prosecuted.

“Domestic abuse in its many forms is life-changing, and we understand the trauma of reporting someone. I want to encourage victims to report, safe in the knowledge they will be listened to and supported throughout the criminal justice process.”

With cases expected to rise, specially trained prosecutors are on hand to advise police and make charging decisions during the World Cup through our out-of-hours charging service CPS Direct.

At peak times, prosecutors working in the CPS Direct team can receive up to 70 to 80 calls an hour for charging decisions, with the festive period continuing to be one of the busier periods and cases of domestic abuse expected to rise. 

Domestic abuse remains a high priority for the CPS, with extensive work continuing to better understand and improve how cases are handled, which has seen a high charge rate in cases of domestic abuse.

To shift the focus from the victim and better support them, prosecutors and police take a suspect-centric approach to build stronger cases. This requires looking at the behaviours of the suspect before, during and after the alleged incident.

Our work is supported by specific training on domestic abuse and evidence-led prosecutions – allowing prosecutors to take forward a case without the victim needing to give evidence - and instead building a case using further evidence such as body-worn video and witness statements.

Douglas Mackay, CPS Football lead, added: “We all have a responsibility to make football an environment everyone can enjoy safely and without fear.

“It is deeply saddening that reports of this abuse rise during a time when fans should be showing their love for the game and supporting their nations in the biggest international tournament in football.

“Domestic abuse is never acceptable. There is no excuse, reason, or motive for someone to inflict cruelty, abuse, and violence on the people in their lives.

“The CPS is playing a crucial role in tackling football-related crimes and working with partners to make our national sport inclusive, safe to watch, and play in.”

The CPS updated legal guidance on Restraining Orders will help prosecutors take all the necessary and appropriate steps to ensure victims are protected from further harm - https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/restraining-orders.

Source: National Crime Agency (NCA) published on this site Monday 19 July 2021

Around 100 potential victims have been identified and 38 people arrested following a week long law enforcement crackdown targeting child traffickers.

The activity, which took place in the week of 28 June, was the latest strand of Project Aidant, the National Crime Agency-led law enforcement response to modern slavery and human trafficking.

It was also part of a Europe-wide operation, co-ordinated in the UK by the NCA’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit, and involved 19 police forces from across the UK, as well as other partners including Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, British Transport Police, HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.

In the year ending 2020, 4,946 children entered the National Referral Mechanism claiming to be victims of trafficking and exploitation in the UK. Once trafficked, children are often sold on into forms of modern slavery and exploitation, including forced criminality, labour, and sexual exploitation.

Of those arrested, 18 were for child criminal and drug related exploitation, 11 were for sexual exploitation, while the rest were for a variety of offences including domestic servitude, labour exploitation and general trafficking.

In all 99 potential victims were identified through a range of law enforcement activity initiating 51 new investigations. Although the activity targeted those exploiting children, a number of adult potential victims were also located as a result of the work, with 72 children and 27 adults identified. Of these, 55 safeguarding referrals were submitted via the National Referral Mechanism.

The intensification period saw increased police presence at London tube and rail stations where suspected victims of child trafficking were thought to be forced to work as pick pockets.

The NCA and Metropolitan Police Service also searched what they suspected to be a brothel where young Romanian girls and women were allegedly being exploited in East London. The search officers didn’t encounter any children, but they did find several Romanian women working in distressing conditions and being sold for as low as £20 per hour for sex work. DWP investigators have also begun an investigation into potentially fraudulent claims being made by people at the address.

Due to the poor conditions of the premises and reports of anti-social behaviour, the Metropolitan Police Service will be taking steps to close the brothel and safeguard the potential victims.

Police Scotland identified and safeguarded five minors that had allegedly been trafficked to the UK, launching five new investigations.