Legislation / Legal
IPCC: A Superintendent and 2 Inspectors are to face a Full Powers Misconduct Panel, following an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) into the Metropolitan Police's handling of the case of Kirk Reid.
The investigation into this series of offences, known as Anflora, was carried out by officers from Wandsworth Borough, whose Sapphire Unit was set up in 2003, until January 2008, when a decision was made to allocate the series to the Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD 1) of the MPS. Within 3 days of this re-allocation, Reid was arrested. He was then charged and ultimately convicted & imprisoned.
IPCC Commissioner for London, Deborah Glass, said: "The failure to take a serial sex offender off the streets of London years earlier is a shameful chapter in the history of the Metropolitan Police Service”.
The investigation into this series of offences, known as Anflora, was carried out by officers from Wandsworth Borough, whose Sapphire Unit was set up in 2003, until January 2008, when a decision was made to allocate the series to the Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD 1) of the MPS. Within 3 days of this re-allocation, Reid was arrested. He was then charged and ultimately convicted & imprisoned.
IPCC Commissioner for London, Deborah Glass, said: "The failure to take a serial sex offender off the streets of London years earlier is a shameful chapter in the history of the Metropolitan Police Service”.
Press release ~ See a video of Deborah Glass' statement on the Kirk Reid investigation ~ Commissioner’s Report into the MPS’s handling of the Kirk Reid case ~ Findings of investigation into Met handling of Worboys case
WO: In the spirit of mutual respect between Westminster and Cardiff Bay, the Welsh Office will take forward the Assembly’s Sustainable Housing LCO un-amended, Welsh Office minister David Jones has announced. The decision will allow the Order, which was subject to a 3-year delay under the previous Government, to complete its passage through Parliament before the summer recess.
This follows assurances from the Welsh Assembly Government that it will continue to support the home ownership aspirations of tenants and has no policy intentions which would contradict that position.
ScotGov: Wide ranging reforms to Scotland's justice system, which aim to make communities safer & stronger have been approved by the Scottish Parliament as the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill was voted through by MSPs.
As a result:
* there will be a presumption against short sentences of 3 months or less in order to end the revolving door of re-offending with low level offenders being sent out to address their offending behaviour and repay their debt to the community through tough manual labour under a new 'Community Payback Order'
* The age at which a child can be prosecuted in adult criminal courts will rise from 8 to 12 to help ensure the rights & needs of children are balanced properly with the protection of communities
HMT: The Government has published the 2010 Finance Bill. The Bill will enact the key tax measures at the heart of the Emergency Budget package.
In addition to this Finance Bill, which will quickly enact the Government’s priorities, there will be a further bill in the autumn. This will introduce minor, technical measures announced by the previous Government and will be published in draft later this month, to allow thorough pre-legislative scrutiny.
Press release ~ Lobby Notes ~ Explanatory Notes ~ Progress of Bill on Parliament website ~ HM Treasury June Budget pages
NAO: Impact Assessments, used to assess the need for & the likely impact of proposed government policy interventions, do not yet consistently provide a sound basis for assessing the relative merits of different policy proposals. Further improvement in the quality and use of Impact Assessments is needed in order to achieve value for money.
According to a report published by the National Audit Office, some Impact Assessments are of a high standard, but wide variation remains between the best & worst.
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