Category: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

Officers and staff will have access to new online training and guidance which will help them to better understand when and how best to apply Right Care Right Person and make sure vulnerable people are receiving the specialist health support they need.  

This new training was released on 19 December and forms part of the national toolkit. This toolkit was launched earlier in the year by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing to support police forces in implementing Right Care Right Person when determining whether the police are the most appropriate agency to respond to health-related calls for service.  

The online training is accessible to police officers and staff via College Learn and includes a variety of scenario situations to help learners better understand the type of calls that fall within Right Care Right Person. It aims to help officers and staff identify situations where police have a legal duty to respond as well as identifying situations that are not in the remit of police, but they may still choose to respond, and where other agencies are better placed to respond to calls.  

This training is accompanied by the release of new guidance for force control rooms which aims to help forces embed Right Care Right Person into their operating practices as well as supporting effective decision-making about the deployment of resources.  

Tom Harding, Director of Public Safety and Risk at the College of Policing, said:

“So far we have seen success in Right Care Right Person in freeing up resources for police to fight crime and catch criminals, and reducing the police response to incidents where they are not the best placed service to be providing the care and support that vulnerable people suffering with mental health require.    

“As we roll out this training and guidance to all officers and staff in England and Wales to help them better understand and implement Right Care Right Person within their force control rooms, we hope to improve the balance of working with partner agencies nationally to make sure the public are receiving the best and most appropriate services for their needs whilst best allocating our resources to those who need a police response.   

“The police are not trained mental health professionals, and by teaching and encouraging staff and officers to better understand and assess the nature of an incident at the first point of contact within the control room, we can free up resources to make sure those who are most in need of our help are able to receive it.” 

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Gilmer, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Right Care Right Person, said:

“The launch of the operational guidance and e-learning package is another key milestone in the national implementation of Right Care Right Person, building on the toolkit and National Partnership Agreement (NPA).  

“Many police forces have taken positive steps towards implementation with some already bringing in different phases and others working with partner agencies to determine their local approach. Ultimately, this is about ensuring vulnerable individuals in our communities receive the specialist care they need and it is encouraging to see this at the centre of local delivery.  

“We continue to support police forces in implementing the Right Care Right Person approach through regular delivery group meetings and peer review and these additional training resources will further bolster local decision-making in partnership with health providers.” 

Operation Calibre, the national police campaign to tackle personal robbery, took place in November across England and Wales and saw over 180 wanted robbery offenders arrested during the month.

30 forces across England and Wales took part in the week of action at different times in November which saw 428 people arrested, of which 181 were wanted offenders for personal robbery offences.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Personal Robbery, Commander Richard Smith, said:

“Personal robbery has a devastating impact on victims, leaving them with trauma which can be lasting. This is one of the reasons why Operation Calibre targets activity of those habitual criminals who can be responsible for a large amount of offending. They look for easy opportunities, often targeting some of the most vulnerable in society, such as children, with threats that violence may be used, making robbery particularly traumatic.

“Last month we saw a significant number of arrests made and sent a clear message to offenders that we will target you and stop you from preying on vulnerable members of our society. My message is clear, we will not stop targeting robbery offenders and will continue to develop our activity in order to bring them to justice.

“During Operation Calibre, police forces targeted their activity in over 1250 known hotspot areas, increasing our visibility and operational activity and arresting those intent on committing crime. As part of this, we specifically targeted offenders wanted for personal robbery and arrested 181 of them.

“Targeting those habitual criminals, who can be responsible for a large amount of offending, by using retrospective facial recognition; conducting test purchase operations against knife retailers to reduce the likelihood of knife-enabled robberies; stop and search and targeting of robbery offenders who also commit domestic violence, are all vital in reducing overall harm.

“However, we know that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. There is a need to deliver a multi-faceted response which is why Operation Calibre sees police engaging with charities, schools, partners and communities to improve education around personal robbery.

“It is through engagement and working with partners that we can deliver long-lasting change and ensure young people can see the effects robbery can have.

“With the festive season now upon us, there are several tips you can do to reduce the chances of you becoming a victim, included below. I encourage everyone to follow these and share them with family and friends. If in the unfortunate circumstances you are a victim of robbery, report it to the police or contact Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org).”

During November, police forces also focused on education and engagement with members of the public and partners. In total, 321 schools were engaged with and 1154 local community events took place which talked about the dangers of personal robbery.

Forces conduct 425 prevention activities including safer shopping initiatives, robbery workshops, advice to victims, additional police presence in hotspot robbery locations and pop up stalls in town centres.

Personal Robbery Safety Tips

• Anyone can become a victim of robbery, make sure you do all you can to protect yourself from becoming a victim.
• You are less likely to be targeted if you look confident. Move with purpose and try to be aware of your surroundings.
• Plan your route and think about what to take with you, especially if you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before. Keep to busy, well-lit streets, walkways and paths which are more likely to be covered by CCTV. Only take licensed taxis or minicabs booked by phone or a mobile phone app.
• Keep your mobile phone and valuables out of sight. If you’re using your phone it’s more likely to be snatched from your hand as you’re not paying attention to your surroundings, so look around you.
• And never leave a mobile, any other device, wallet or purse on the table of an outdoor café, pub or restaurant. Same goes for any jewellery you might be wearing – keep it covered when walking down the street.
• It’s a good idea to scan the area around ATMs before you use them. Be aware of anyone standing close by and always check the machine to see if it’s been tampered with before you use it.
• Things to look out for are devices attached to the machine – some are more obvious than others. If you do see something suspicious contact the police and the bank.
• Remember, if it doesn’t look or feel right then steer clear and, if possible, go inside the bank where it will be safer. And always keep a regular check on your transactions.
• We know it’s not always easy, but try to be aware of anyone near you when you’re at an ATM. Being aware of your surroundings and not being distracted makes it harder for people to take advantage and less likely that they’ll try to.
• Thieves will watch as you key in your PIN or distract you while you’re withdrawing cash. Be vigilant. Cover your PIN and keep an eye on your card at all times. If someone taps you on the shoulder or tries to speak to you, just ignore them.
• When you’ve left the ATM, put your card away immediately.
• You should also be careful with contactless cards. You can get a card holder to prevent your card details being inadvertently read.
• Finally – and this is so important to remember – if you’re threatened with violence, don’t risk your personal safety. Property can be replaced, you can’t.

On 8 August 2023, the personal information of 9,483 police officers and staff working at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was published on a public website following a Freedom of Information request. 

This represented a significant data breach that undoubtedly had an enormous impact on those working at the PSNI, in addition to local communities, and public confidence.

Following this incident, the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) requested an independent peer review of the matter. The NPCC Digital, Data and Technology Coordination Committee commissioned a team led by T/ Commissioner Peter O’Doherty in his capacity as national lead for the Police Information Assurance Board. Mr. O’Doherty has been supported by staff with considerable expertise in this area from West Yorkshire Police, the Police Digital Service, and the National Police Freedom of Information and Data Protection Unit.

Today, the NIPB have published the review’s findings. 

National Police Chiefs’ Council Information Assurance lead, and City of London Police T/ Commissioner Peter O’Doherty said:

“The volume of data managed, processed, and stored by policing is vast and continues to increase, both in terms of volume and complexity. Furthermore, policing holds the most sensitive of data and information and so it is essential that all police forces foster a robust and highly committed approach to data and information management and security, and ensure we have the leadership, governance, structures, and systems in place to protect the institution of policing and everyone who is part of it and effected by it. 

“Both the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) commissioned an independent review into the data breach of 8 August 2023, which reflected a real commitment in wanting to prevent such an event from ever happening again and ensure that the PSNI improved its ability to protect all data held and used by the organisation. 

“I have presented the findings of the report to both the PSNI and the NIPB. This report not only services to highlight how the breach occurred, but also provides 37 clear recommendations that will help the PSNI evolve in its leadership of all data protection, information management, and security. 

“It is important to recognise that many of these recommendations will need to be considered by every police force in the UK, so that we collectively work to improve how our data is protected and safeguarded.” 

Joint commitment from NPCC, CPS and College of Policing 

Police chiefs, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are today announcing a joint commitment to transforming how they investigate, handle and prosecute domestic abuse to ensure victims are better supported, timeliness is improved, and more offenders are brought to justice. 

Domestic abuse can have a severe and long-term impact on victims and their children, including physical, mental health and economic difficulties.

Taking a similar approach to policing and CPS’ joint national action plan for rape, the three organisations are committing to working together to drive improvements in their response to domestic abuse by developing a national Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP). 

Under the DA JJP, the organisations will work together from the earliest stage to build robust, victim-centred and suspect-focused investigations and prosecutions which focus on the suspect’s actions before, during and after an alleged offence.

Baljit Ubhey, CPS director of strategy and policy, said:

“Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that can have a life-long impact on victims of all different backgrounds and ages. 

“Our people work incredibly hard every day to bring offenders of this despicable crime to justice and there is no greater job satisfaction than knowing we have played our part in protecting victims and their families from harm and helping them move on with their lives – but we know there is still more work to do. 

“This joint commitment is just the first step in our journey to transforming domestic abuse victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system – from report to outcome – and we are confident we can do better and provide greater protection for them and their children while bringing more offenders to justice.” 

Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, NPCC lead for domestic abuse, said:

“Domestic abuse is more than a third of violent crime.  As justice agencies, it is essential we work together to better safeguard victims, hold offenders to account, and prevent the cycle of reoffending and victimisation. 

“Domestic abuse devastates families and we want to work with the many brilliant charities who support victims. Listening to victims’ voices, we will ensure that our plan better meets their needs.

“For too many victims, their journey through the criminal justice system leads to further trauma and we know the interactions between our agencies need to be better.”

College of Policing Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, also the NPCC lead for violence against women and girls, said:

“Domestic abuse accounts for almost one in five crimes and in policing we sadly see huge numbers of victims every week. It is part of a range of crimes which disproportionately affect women and children including stalking, harassment and controlling or coercive behaviour.  

“Behind each of these crimes is a devastated victim and we know that we must do better for them. Which is why we have joined forces with the CPS on this plan. It will be ambitious but we know that victims deserve this focus so that they can feel safer in their homes and in their lives.” 

Chief Constable Rob Nixon, NPCC lead for criminal justice, said:

“Investigating and prosecuting domestic abuse cases can be complex and so by working together, we can start to simplify the process for victims, ensuring that the outcomes they desire are at the forefront of our minds. Wherever possible, we should be listening to victims and understanding the dynamics of human relationships so that their needs and wishes are taken into consideration.

“We look forward to delivering a plan which seeks to focus on a partnership approach from the outset, with an emphasis on timeliness and quality at every stage and improves everyone’s experience of the criminal justice system for domestic abuse.”

The core commitments in the plan will fall under the following three themes:  

• Efficacy, culture and cohesion: by working together, we build strong cases from the outset.  
• Effectiveness and supporting victims: victims of domestic abuse have confidence and engage with criminal justice partners.  
• Efficiency and timeliness: we secure swift justice for victims of domestic abuse and hold perpetrators to account.   

If a victim feels unable to continue with their journey in a criminal case, this can lead to a recurrence of abuse. The plan will tackle how to build strong cases right from the start, supporting the victim’s needs while relentlessly pursuing the perpetrator and bringing justice in whichever form the victim feels is appropriate for them.

The next steps in developing and implementing the plan will be to engage closely with those with lived experience through partners and stakeholders before launching the national plan in the spring of 2024.

Following the roll-out of E2EE.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Child Protection, Abuse and Investigation, Ian Critchley, said:

“On average policing arrests 800 suspected offenders a month and safeguards on average 1200 children a month in relation to child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences.

“There are staggering numbers of reports coming from social media companies with a large volume of them coming from Meta owned sites. However, the introduction of Meta’s new end-to-end encryption (E2EE) will have a dangerous impact on child safety. Meta will no longer be able to see messages from online groomers which contain child sexual abuse material and therefore they won’t be able to refer it to the police.

“Being able to identify the ways that criminals are targeting and grooming our children and vulnerable people online is vital. Not only can this evidence help secure prosecutions but it can also identify victims so police can bring an end to their exploitation.

“By introducing end to end encryption, social media companies are putting the safety of children at risk without providing an alternative, whilst also ignoring warnings from child safety charities and experts. There is a moral responsibility on media companies to ensure this does not happen.

“Policing is not against privacy or encryption in general, however it cannot be done at the expense of a child’s safety. We know children will always be online and that paedophiles will continue to go to those same online spaces to target, groom and abuse them. We know that the problem is increasing all the time and the introduction of E2EE will lead to more children becoming victims and having their lives destroyed by something that was preventable.

“Our message to tech companies is simple: work with us and do not implement new technical designs that will stop you and law enforcement from protecting the public. It is imperative that the responsibility of safeguarding children online is placed with the companies who create spaces for them. I am also confident that OFCOM as the regulator of the Online Safety Act will ensure that Meta are held to account for child sexual abuse material being distributed on their platforms without the required and necessary safeguards being in place that E2EE will severely reduce.

“Policing will not stop in its fight against those who commit these horrific crimes. We cannot do this alone, so while we continue to pursue and prosecute those who abuse and exploit children, we repeat our call for more to be done by companies in this space.”

Note to editors:

• Facebook has a hugely positive record of working with law enforcement in the UK and worldwide to protect children from child sex offenders. However, this is being put at risk by Facebook’s role out of end-to-end encryption, which will effectively blind it to these horrific crimes taking place on its platform. This will dramatically reduce their ability to provide law enforcement with the evidence they need to prosecute.
• Child sex offenders are increasingly exploiting social media sites to abuse children. Tech firms working with law enforcement is crucial to tackling online child sexual abuse.
• Online platforms who claim to be responsible, and in particular those allowing users to discover people they don’t know, should not want to help criminals abuse others.
• We want companies like Facebook to remain shoulder to shoulder with UK law enforcement on the frontline of tackling child abuse. They can do this by continuing to detect and report abuse, then provide the evidence that enables policing to act.
• We are also clear that robust two factor authentication on devices, and age and identity verification procedures are vital in respect of encrypted services and platforms.  It is the NCA’s assessment, informed by research with offenders, that identity verification acts as a powerful disincentive to online offending.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Data and Analytics Board are delighted to announce the release of a series of short data awareness videos. These are aimed at enhancing awareness and fostering professional development within data literacy in the policing community.

As part of the ongoing commitment to excellence, these engaging videos offer a light introduction to data management, providing essential context for the pivotal role data plays in modern policing.

Aimee Smith Director of Data at the Metropolitan Police Service, and Co-Chair of the NPCC Data and Analytics Board said:

“The primary objective is to demystify the complexities of data, empowering police staff and officers with the knowledge required to navigate this dynamic landscape effectively.”

The videos are easily accessible via YouTube, ensuring convenient viewing for all members of the policing community:

Aimee went on to praise the dedication of the volunteers on the NPCC Data and Analytics Board and the Police Digital Service, adding:

“These videos are a testament to the volunteers who tirelessly contribute above and beyond their daily responsibilities to develop resources that will benefit front line policing over the coming months”.

Policing professionals are encouraged to actively engage with these videos and promote them internally within their forces. The videos can form the basis of in-house training packages and should be considered a sector-wide free resource.

Your feedback, questions, and suggestions are invaluable, and we invite you to share them by contacting CDAP@pds.police.uk

Further updates will be communicated soon.