Source: Home Office published n this website Monday 24 February 2025 by Jill Powell

Children and vulnerable people who are exploited by gangs for criminal purposes will receive greater protection, with two new criminal offences set to be introduced by the government next week.

Landmark legislation will be brought forward to ban cuckooing, a highly exploitative practice where criminals seize control of a vulnerable person’s home without consent to conduct illegal activities like drug dealing.

Another new offence will be created against adults who use a child to commit criminal activity. Both of these measures will be part of the government’s landmark Crime and Policing Bill, which is set to be introduced in Parliament next week and forms a key part of the government’s Plan for Change. 

Current estimates show that approximately 14,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation (CCE) in 2023 to 2024, although this is likely an underestimate as many exploited children will not be known to authorities.

However, under current legislation, only a small number of individuals have been charged for using children in criminal activity.

This standalone CCE offence will therefore look to target those adults who unscrupulously groom and exploit children into criminal activity, such as county lines drug running or organised robbery, as well as increasing the opportunities for children to be identified.

Those convicted of committing a CCE offence could face a maximum of 10 years in prison, sending a clear message that this form of child exploitation will never be tolerated.

These measures will be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill alongside the new CCE offence.

It is commonly associated with drug supply, serious violence and antisocial behaviour, seeing people often with disabilities or those with substance misuse issues targeted by criminals for their own personal gain. 

The introduction of this new offence will target individuals who take over the homes of vulnerable people for criminal purposes and punish them for the harm caused. It will carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.

Source: Mencap published on this website Thursday 20 February 2025 by Jill Powell

The report highlights the scale and impact of poor NHS administration and patient communications, including on people with long-term conditions. 

Jon Sparkes, OBE, Chief Executive at learning disability charity Mencap, says:

“It's deeply worrying to hear people are being deterred from getting medical treatment because of NHS admin issues and this can be particularly harmful for people with a learning disability, who already face huge inequalities in getting the healthcare they need.

“Having to chase test results, not knowing who to contact or how long you might have to wait for treatment is hard for anyone and it’s unsurprising that people end up with delays to care or treatment or feel like giving up. It is an even heavier burden for people with a learning disability who are struggling to navigate a complex health system.

“For people with a learning disability these barriers to healthcare form part of the picture where they die on average up to 23 years earlier than the general population with many of their deaths avoidable. Delays to accessing care and treatment are a key driver of these shocking inequalities.

“Poor admin isn't just an inconvenience it actively deepens health inequalities. The Government’s 10 Year NHS Plan must fix these preventable admin failures and ensure the healthcare system meets the needs of people with a learning disability. This includes ensuring they are supported to access easy-to-understand information and are able to contact NHS services in a more accessible way

Source: Security Industry Authority (SIA) published on this website Friday 21 February 2025 by Jill Powell

From 1 April 2025, there has to be a ‘refresher’ qualification the door supervisor or security guard licence can be renewed

There has to be an up-to-date Emergency First Aid at Work qualification, or equivalent, before the refresher training (read about the first aid qualifications we accept) can be undertaken. The first aid qualification will need to be shown  to the  training provider when y registering for a refresher course.

In 2021 SIA introduced new, updated qualifications for all sectors except close protection and vehicle immobilisation.

They also made it a requirement that:

• Applicants must have an Emergency First Aid at Work qualification, or equivalent, before individuals can take the training required for a door supervisor or security guard licence
• Applicants must have one of the new qualifications or take top-up training before you can apply for or renew a door supervisor and security guard licence

In 2022 the SIA introduced an updated close protection qualification. They also made it a requirement that applicants must have the new qualification or take top-up training before applying  for or renew a close protection licence.

The SIA need to make sure that people working in the private security industry can:

• keep the public safe
• follow new working practices
• understand recent changes to the law
• make the best use of new technology

If an individual holds a door supervisor licence they can choose one of the following options:

• take the door supervisor refresher training and renew their door supervisor licence
• take the security guard refresher training and switch to a security guard licence

If an individual already holds a close protection licence, they can choose one of the following options:

• take the close protection top-up training and renew the close protection licence
• take the door supervisor refresher training and switch to a door supervisor licence

Door supervisors and security guards must complete an Emergency First Aid at Work qualification, or equivalent, before taking the licence-linked training. This applies both to the full licence-linked training courses and to the refresher training.

The SIA accept qualifications that comply with the relevant guidance from the Health and Safety Executive. Some examples are:

• First Aid at Work (FAW)
• First Person on Scene (FPOS)
• First Response Emergency Care (FREC)

Individual training provider can tell you more about this.

Close protection operatives must complete a first aid qualification at level 3 or above before taking the licence-linked training. Some examples are:

• Level 3 First Aid at Work (FAW)
• Level 3 First Person on Scene (FPOS)
• Level 3 First Response Emergency Care (FREC)

The SIA accept other qualifications.  Training providers can tell you more about this.

Source: Home Office published on this site Wednesday 19 February 2025 by Jill Powell

Retailers will need to report suspicious and bulk purchases of knives on their platforms to police, with tougher sentences for selling knives to under 18s.

Stricter rules for online retailers selling knives will be introduced by the government, along with tougher penalties for failing to enforce them, as we pursue every avenue to protect young people from knife crime.

Following tragedies where the unlicensed sale of these weapons online has led to young people being killed, retailers will be required to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives on their platforms to police to prevent illegal resales happening across social media accounts.

Underlining our commitment to stop these weapons from reaching young people, we will increase the sentence for selling weapons to under 18s from 6 months to up to 2 years prison time, which could apply to an individual who has processed the sale or a CEO of the company.

This increased penalty will also apply to the sale or supply of prohibited offensive weapons such as recently banned zombie-style knives, following police evidence outlined by Commander Stephen Clayman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime, where he identified a discrepancy in current legislation which means there is more leniency for illegally selling weapons than possessing one.

And in recognition of the broad array of knives - legal or banned - that are involved in knife attacks, a new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence will be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill which will come with a prison sentence of up to 4 years in prison. This means that no matter if the weapon in possession is legal or not, if there is intent to cause violence, it is a crime.

The government will also explore through a consultation later this year whether a registration scheme should be put in place for all online retailers selling knives so that only responsible sellers are able to sell knives. This follows the government’s recent announcement that we will significantly strengthen ID checks on the sale and delivery of knives to keep our streets safe as part of the Plan for Change.