Policing Archives | Criminal Justice Alliance

CJA response: APCC, NPCC and Home Office accept HMICFRS recommendations following super-complaint investigation

Thu, 16 May 2024 13:51:33 +0000

On 15 December 2023, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) released a report investigating our super-complaint, which advocated for the repeal of Section 60 stop and search powers. The investigation into our super-complaint yielded numerous recommendations to chief constables, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), the Home Office, and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). Six months on, their responses have now been published and we are pleased to see the recommendations accepted.

However, we assert that even with the full implementation of the HMICFRS recommendations, these entrenched trends inequities are unlikely to change.

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The CJA’s response to HMICFRS’ report on our super-complaint on Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 06:17:36 +0000

The Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) responds to the HMICFRS report on our super-complaint regarding Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and independent community scrutiny of stop and search. The CJA’s 2021 super-complaint called for the repeal of Section 60 powers, emphasising the need for a review of the legislation’s effectiveness. The HMICFRS report acknowledges issues of police non-compliance with legal and best practice frameworks but falls short of advocating strongly for a robust mandatory framework.

Specific concerns include the absence of interviews with individuals impacted by stop and search, child safeguarding, the questionable effectiveness of stop and search in reducing knife crime, and racial disparities. The CJA proposes a set of recommendations, including repealing Section 60, adherence to the law and best practices, prioritising lived experiences, addressing child safeguarding, adopting evidence-based policies for serious youth violence, improving police community consultative frameworks, and addressing racial disparities through collaboration with civil society partners.

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Submission to Home Office draft community scrutiny framework: National guidance for Community Scrutiny Panels

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:29:36 +0000

The Criminal Justice Alliance has submitted a response to the Home Office’s consultation on the Draft Community Scrutiny Framework: National Guidance for Community Scrutiny Panels (CSP). With a strong emphasis on policing issues such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), stop and search, and victim support, the CJA recognises the critical role of community scrutiny and accountability in enhancing policing legitimacy and transparency. While we appreciate several elements in the draft guidance, we stress the importance of greater uniformity and a more comprehensive acknowledgment of the current policing context. We emphasise that effective community scrutiny can help rebuild trust with communities, especially those who have historically had strained relationships with police. Our amendments and recommendations emphasise transparency, equity, and the rebuilding of trust with all communities as key goals.

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Submission to Home Office consultation on revisions to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) – Code A

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:09:39 +0000

The Criminal Justice Alliance has submitted a response to the Home Office’s consultation on revisions to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) – Code A, focusing on the exercise of stop and search powers by police officers. In light of our ongoing supercomplaint to repeal Section 60 stop and search, we expressed concerns about the expansion of such searches. We welcome certain revisions in the code, such as improved communication of authorisations to the public, data collection for annual reports, and updated ethnic categories. However we urgently need greater community engagement and the inclusion of perspectives of those directly affected by these powers in policy development.

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National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing’s draft Police Race Action Plan response

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 13:22:13 +0000

In this response to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing (CoP)’s Police Race Action Plan, we welcome the commitment of the police to becoming an anti-racist police service that is trusted by Black people, and the positive direction set out in the Plan. However, we have also highlighted our overall and fundamental concerns that the Plan overlooks key areas that would improve policing for Black people, such as a specific focus on improving Black detainees’ experiences of police custody and addressing Black women and girls’ experiences of policing. We also state that the Plan’s ambitions are undermined by recent policy decisions to extend some police powers that disproportionately affect Black people. Our members are also concerned that the plan has not been co-produced with Black communities.

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Home Affairs Select Committee drugs inquiry response

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 11:00:45 +0000

In this response to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s inquiry into drugs, we recommend the government introduce a new, health-based legislative framework for drug use. This framework should be based on the findings of an independent review on the potential for licensing, decriminalisation, legalisation, regulation and taxation of drugs in England and Wales.

We also recommend the expansion of drug diversion schemes, drug courts and Community Sentence Treatment Requirements, as well as evidence-based harm reduction measures, such as Overdose Prevention Centres (OPCs) and drug checking services, in order to make national progress on our drug policy.

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Just visiting?

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 10:57:35 +0000

In this report, we explore the effectiveness of independent custody visitors at monitoring race and gender equality in police custody. We found some examples of positive work by independent custody visitors to improve the treatment and welfare of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people and women in police custody. However, a number of custody visitors lack understanding of institutional racism and discrimination, and custody visiting schemes need to be more racially diverse to better reflect the people detained in police custody. We also found a range of systemic barriers preventing custody visitors from monitoring race and gender equality effectively.

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10 ways the PCSC Bill will entrench racial inequality in the criminal justice system

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:45:31 +0000

This joint briefing from a coalition of criminal justice organisations outlines how 10 clauses in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen racial inequality in the criminal justice system, and without evidence that they will reduce crime or improve public safety. We draw on the government’s own equality assessments, which acknowledge that most of the provisions reviewed in this briefing are indirectly discriminatory. We also highlight the government’s lack of evidence that they are a ‘proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim’ and the lack of sufficient mitigation of their impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

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Government response to open letter on PCSC Bill

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 09:22:49 +0000

In March, the CJA and a coalition of organisations wrote to the Prime Minister, warning that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen existing racial inequality in the criminal justice system, leading to more Black, Asian and minority ethnic people being swept into the criminal justice system for ever increasing periods of their lives. We have now received a response from the government.

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More harm than good

Mon, 24 May 2021 11:13:27 +0000

This report sets out the CJA’s super-complaint into section 60 stop and search. It draws on submissions from national and grassroots organisations, academics and former police officers as well as the CJA’s own research. The CJA argues that section 60 is harmful, ineffective and unnecessary, and calls for the government to repeal the power. It also recommends how community scrutiny of wider stop and search could be made more effective.

Annex 1 contains submissions from supporting individuals and organisations discussing their concerns around section 60.

Annex 2 is a deep analysis of data around section 60, secured through Freedom of Information requests.

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