Policing and Crime Act

Tuesday 23rd February 2010, Guoman Charing Cross, London, 08:45 - 14:00 (half day)

The Policing and Crime Act - Putting People First

'The public is our best weapon in fighting crime and this bill gives them the right to expect the police to focus on the crimes that matter to their community. Real progress has been made on reducing crime by more than a third over the last decade and the risk of becoming a victim of crime is at its lowest ever level.’

Jacqui Smith, Former Home Secretary, Home Office, December 2008

Overview

Following agreement by both Houses on the text of the Policing and Crime Bill it received Royal Assent on 12 November.

The new Policing and Crime Act sets out the ways government will work with police to give a clear and powerful voice to the public, drive down crime, and drive up public confidence and give local people more information and a bigger say in how their neighbourhood is policed.

The Act will implement a number of key priorities on policing and operational effectiveness, including suggestions from the government’s Policing Green Paper, through measures designed to:

ensure police authorities listen to the views of the public on policing in their area
strengthen the independence and status of the senior appointments panel for chief officers
ensure that HM Inspectorate of Constabulary assesses how well authorities are reflecting the views of the public when they inspect an authority’s functions
make sure police forces at the regional and national level are working together by improving operational processes and clarifying the framework for collaboration agreements
enable the Secretary of State to set out a framework through regulations on the retention, use and destruction of DNA

New measures include:

strengthening legislation to clarify how police forces and authorities can work together by placing an explicit duty on police authorities to reflect their community’s priorities in their work
creating a new role for HMIC to inspect the way in which police authorities carry out this requirement
creating a new offence of paying for sex with a prostitute who is controlled for gain, alongside changes to loitering offences, kerb-crawling offences and brothel closure orders
introducing a mandatory code of practice for alcohol retailers and a series of amendments to police powers to allow them to tackle young people drinking in public more effectively
reclassifying lap dancing clubs so they require a sex establishment licence to give local people a say in their establishment and location
widening the circumstances in which civil orders can be brought to restrict the activities of sex offenders and strengthen Foreign Travel Orders
simplifying the authorisation procedures for the regulation of the Investigatory Powers Act where there are collaborative arrangements between police forces to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of investigation

From April 2009, police authorities will face regular inspection to test that they are visible to their communities and improving public confidence. They will benefit from increased training for members to help them to deliver these goals, and will be provided with new powers to write the performance appraisal of their chief constable and ensure that they are delivering for their community.

The Act will help increase the effectiveness and public accountability of policing, protect vulnerable members of society, reduce crime by improving the recovery of criminal assets, and international judicial cooperation and enhance security planning at UK airports.

Agenda

08:45	Registration and Coffee
09:25	Chair’s Opening Remarks Roger King, Visiting Fellow, Office for Public Management (OPM) (CONFIRMED)
09:30	The Future of Policing: Next Steps Stephen Kershaw, Director of the Police Reform and Resources, Home Office (CONFIRMED)
09:50	Keynote: Policing and Crime Act: New Role for HMIC Creating a new role for HMIC to inspect the way in which police authorities carry out this requirement Ensuring that HM Inspectorate of Constabulary reflect the views of the public when they inspect an authority’s functions Strengthening the independence and status of the senior appointments panel for chief officers Denis O’Connor QPM, CBE ,Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, HMIC (CONFIRMED)
10:10	Questions and Answers Session
10:15	Collaborative Working in Yorkshire and the Humber - The Lessons Learned Facilitating more effective collaborative working of police forces and police authorities Increasing the capacity and capability of forces to meet current and future demands What will the Act mean for the future of Community Safety Partnerships Tim Hollis CBE QPM, Chief Constable, Humberside Police, ACPO Vice President and ACPO lead for Drugs (CONFIRMED)
10:35	Policing and Crime Act: Improving Neighbourhood Policing, Driving up Public Confidence Police accountability and seeking the views of the public on policing Improving public confidence in the police Duty on police authorities to reflect their community’s priorities in their work Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of investigations Improving operational processes and clarifying the framework for collaboration agreements Lord Toby Harris, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing (CONFIRMED)
10:55	Coffee and Networking
11:15	Police Accountability and Seeking the Views of the Public on Policing Empowering citizens, improving the connection between the public and the police Duty on police authorities to reflect their community’s priorities in their work Mark Burns-Williamson, Deputy Chair of the Association of Police Authorities and Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority (CONFIRMED)
11:35	What Changes to the CJS are Needed to Allow for the Effective Delivery of Policing? Providing a more citizen focused service Taking into account the views of the public Empowering citizens, improving the connection between the public and the police What will the Act mean for the future of policing? Paul McKeever, Chairman, Police Federation of England and Wales (CONFIRMED)
11:55	Questions and Answers Session
	Policing and Crime Act: Changes to Licensing Conditions
12:10	Changes to Licensing Conditions: Empowering The Police to Tackle Alcohol Related Crime and Disorder Implications for police in tackling alcohol related crime among young people and retailers Alcohol Disorder Zones and tackling persistent offending Rethinking local licensing arrangements Mandatory code of conduct Clamping down on irresponsible promotions and pricing Chief Constable Mike Craik, Lead for Alcohol Licensing, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) & Chief Constable, Northumbria Police (CONFIRMED)
12:30	Changes to Licensing Conditions: New Regulations for Sexual Entertainment Venues Reclassifying lap dancing clubs as sex establishment Giving local communities a stronger say over the establishment and location of a sexual entertainment venue and allow them to make objections on grounds wider than is currently allowed New powers for local authorities: impose a wider range of conditions on the licenses and setting capss Alastair Noble, Policy Lead for Lap Dancing, Home Office (CONFIRMED)
12:50	Questions and Answers Session
13:00	Lunch and Networking
14:00	Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

The audience will be representative of the diversity of the issue and the stakeholders present will include, community safety teams, police & fire authorities, LSPs, CDRPs, drug and alcohol action teams, CDRPs Managers/Officers, neighbourhood coordinators, anti-social behaviour managers, local strategic partnerships, directors of community safety, airport security managers, youth offending teams, town centre managers, neighbourhood wardens, victims support, ALOs, licensing teams, planning authorities, community cohesion officers, schools, local criminal justice boards, prison/probation service, central government departments & bodies, unions, academia, the private, legal & voluntary sectors.