News & Advice

Many newspapers this week ran a headline in these or similar terms:  ‘Trust in police hanging by a thread, inspectorate says.’ The impetus for this kind of comment was a damning report published by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke.        In the State of Policing 2022, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary… Continue reading Policing – A Crisis of Confidence?

On 3 March 2023, the Court of Appeal handed down a judgment in the case of Arie Ali. The case proved to be of some interest due to this remark made by Lord Justice Edis: ‘On 24 February 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to the Lord Chief Justice saying:- “You will appreciate that operating… Continue reading Prison Overcrowding – A Get Out of Jail Free Card?

When considering police powers, particularly concerning search and seizure of property, we think first of powers derived from statute, which leads us to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. On occasion, however, statute does not provide police with effective powers, and the question arises as to whether their actions will be lawful if they… Continue reading Police Powers & The Common Law

The Law Commission is tasked with keeping the law under review and this week presented a consultation paper discussing significant reforms to the trial of sexual offences, including rape.   Why Was the Review Carried Out?   In its End-to-End Rape Review, the Government looked at the decline in conviction rates since 2016 – one… Continue reading Trial of Sexual Offences

The government is backing new proposals to deter and punish rural crimes.  The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill is a private members bill which has government support. It was introduced to Parliament by Greg Smith MP on 16 June 2022 and is sponsored by Lord Blencathra in the House of Lords, where it was introduced on… Continue reading Rural Crime – Agricultural Thefts

Ipsos polling shows that more than 2 in 3 (67 %) of UK adults are worried about seeing content promoting or advocating self-harm while online. In 2021 the Law Commission recommended that individuals responsible for encouraging or assisting serious self-harm should be better held to account by criminal law. It is argued that once the… Continue reading “Encouraging Serious Self-Harm” to Become a Criminal Offence

Current legislation to manage protests provides predominantly for powers to counter behaviours at protests which are violent or distressing to the public. These powers include those under the Public Order Act 1986 (the “1986 Act”) which provides the police with powers to manage public processions and assemblies, including protests.  Sections 12 and 14 of the… Continue reading New Public Order Laws

A blood test to measure whether a driver who has caused an accident was impaired by lack of sleep could be available within two years, making it easier to legislate against drowsy drivers or their employers. Globally, more than 1.35 million people are fatally injured in road traffic crashes, with an additional 20–50 million people… Continue reading Blood Test for Sleepy Drivers Could Pave Way for Prosecutions

Updated sentencing guidelines for animal cruelty offences that reflect changes introduced by the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, were published on the 10th of May by the Sentencing Council following consultation.  For the first time, a new ‘Animal cruelty’ guideline gives judges and magistrates in England and Wales guidance for sentencing the most serious animal… Continue reading Animal Cruelty – New Sentencing Guidelines

The government has set out proposals to reduce women’s offending over the period of the 2022–25. This Delivery Plan sets out how the Government will deliver four key priorities to reduce women’s offending over the next three years.        These are:  Fewer women entering the justice system and reoffending  Fewer women serving short… Continue reading Female Offender Strategy