Lib Dems announce £250m-a-year Online Crime Agency
The Liberal Democrats have proposed a £250 million-a-year Online Crime Agency funded by a new levy on large technology and generative-AI companies.
Charlotte Mercer · 5 min readLatest in Policing
Government expands knife-crime crackdown to more than 230 areas
The Government is expanding its targeted knife-crime programme to more than 230 areas across 27 police forces, as Home Office data shows knife-enabled robbery fell 23% across seven priority forces.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readWelsh First Minister warns Burnham: 'We are not a region of England'
Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has warned Andy Burnham not to treat Wales like an English region as he presses the Prime Minister to devolve policing and justice powers.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readGovernment warns people smugglers may shift Channel routes after South Coast protests
The Government has warned that people smugglers may use larger boats and less frequently targeted stretches of coastline after an unusual crossing near the Isle of Wight and protests in Portsmouth and Dover.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readPolice officers injured and vehicles damaged during Portsmouth migrant protest
Police have confirmed that officers were injured and police, Coastguard and Border Force vehicles damaged during the Portsmouth anti-migration protest, with an investigation now under way.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readHundreds protest in Portsmouth after boat carrying around 140 migrants brought ashore
Hundreds of anti-migration protesters gathered in Portsmouth and blocked roads after a small boat carrying around 140 migrants was intercepted and its occupants brought ashore.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readRelease prisoners early or police could run out of cells for arrests, Phillipson warns
Bridget Phillipson has defended the Government's early-prison-release reforms, warning that without action to ease overcrowding police could ultimately be forced to cancel arrests because the justice system had run out of custodial space.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readBurnham’s police mega-merger review delayed after clashing with his own devolution plans
The review drawing up a new map of larger regional police forces has reportedly been pushed into the autumn after proposed boundaries clashed with Andy Burnham's devolution plans.
Charlotte Mercer · 5 min readBurnham accelerates specialist rape and sexual-offence teams by 18 months — with £13.3m for new offender-monitoring units
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered every police force in England and Wales to establish specialist rape and sexual-offence teams by December 2027, alongside £13.3m for up to ten specialist protection-order teams.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readFifty Police Chiefs Urge Burnham to Stop Early Release of PC Andrew Harper’s Killers
Fifty policing and law-enforcement leaders have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to examine every lawful option to prevent the earlier release of two men convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper.
Charlotte Mercer · 6 min readPolice Threaten Legal Action as Minister Defends Early Release of PC Andrew Harper’s Killers
Police representatives are considering legal action over plans allowing Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole to leave prison earlier, as Sentencing Minister Jake Richards defended the Government’s position.
Charlotte Mercer · 5 min readBurnham Defends Early Release Changes After PC Andrew Harper Widow’s ‘Betrayal’ Claim
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has defended the limits of his changes to the early prisoner release scheme, saying broader exclusions would risk the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing within months.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readPC Andrew Harper’s Widow Accuses Burnham of ‘Betrayal’ Over Early Release
Lissie Harper has accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government of an ‘utter betrayal’ after two men convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper remained eligible for earlier release despite new exemptions for serious sexual offenders.
Charlotte Mercer · 5 min readDetails of More Than 100,000 Police Officers and Staff Published on Dark Web
Names, organisations and work email addresses belonging to police officers, staff and other criminal justice professionals have been published on the dark web following a breach of the Police National Legal Database.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readSuella Braverman Calls for EHRC Investigation into Staffordshire Police Custody Policy
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has written to the Equality and Human Rights Commission asking it to investigate Staffordshire Police's custody policy following reports about its treatment of transgender detainees.
Staff member · 2 min read