Message from Jacqui Smith

'The proportion of violent crimes involving knives has stayed at around six percent for the last 13 years. But of course statistics don't tell the whole story and I, and my colleagues across Government, are particularly concerned about the worrying trend of young people carrying knives and the young age of knife crime victims and offenders in recent incidents.

In June, I announced the roll-out of the Tackling Knives Action Programme to focus work across ten regions which account for more than 70 percent of knife crime - London, Essex, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Thames Valley, South Wales and Nottinghamshire.

This Programme builds on the targeted approach we took earlier this year to tackle gang related gun crime which saw a 50 percent fall in firearms injuries in the police force areas involved. The work is now being taken forward by the Association of Chief Police Officers' Lead on Knife Crime, DAC Alf Hitchcock from the Metropolitan Police Service.

It includes a range of action over the next nine months, including stepping up enforcement operations, working with A&E departments on information sharing, setting up youth forums to enable young people to have a say in local issues, and crackdowns on retailers selling knives to under-18s.

One of the first actions we are taking forward is the crackdown on the illegal sale of knives to under-18s. Knife retailers in the ten police force areas in England and Wales, that are the focus of the Government's Tackling Knives Action Programme, will face 'mystery shopper' visits by underage children, under the supervision of police and Trading Standards officers.

The Tackling Knives Action Programme is evidence of how seriously the Government takes the issue of knife crime. We are determined to stop young people needlessly losing their lives.'

Message from James Hall, Chief Executive Identity and Passport Service

'The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has made considerable advances in recent months in a number of areas of our core business, including the smooth introduction of new passport interviews.

Passports

Research shows that more than half of fraudulent applications for a passport occur amongst adults who are applying for the first time. The latest anti-fraud measure we have introduced involved opening a network of 68 offices across the country to carry out face-to-face passport interviews for first-time adult applicants. We have now completed more than 220,000 interviews and we are currently arranging appointments for 100% of customers within our 15 day target.

http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/findinterviewoffices/default.aspx

Combating Identity Fraud

Countering fraud is a constant challenge for both our people and our systems. The duty to detect fraud and reject invalid applications for a UK passport is something we take very seriously. Our target was to reduce the level of unprevented application fraud to below 0.15 per cent of all passport applications - and I am pleased to say that for 2007/08 we reduced this figure down to 0.09 per cent of all applications.

http://www.identity-theft.org.uk/faqs.html

National Identity Scheme

This November sees the start of the National Identity Scheme (NIS) which is designed to both make life easier for individuals and to increase public protection in sensitive areas by creating a single, simple and secure way to protect and prove your identity.

http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/ukpga-20060015-en.pdf

The first ID cards will be issued to foreign nationals in November 2008. In 2009, ID cards will start to be issued to those who are employed in roles or locations where identity assurance is important to public protection. From 2010, we will begin issuing ID cards on an entirely voluntary basis to those young people who would see the greatest personal benefit from having or using an identity card.

As you may have seen earlier this year, our Minister, Meg Hillier has been out and about listening to stakeholders as part of the consultation over our plans to deliver the NIS . I know that some of you were able to take the opportunity to voice your thoughts during these consultation events, or have responded in writing. We are analysing the responses received and will issue a report in the autumn.

http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/national-identity-scheme-delivery-2008.pdf

We will continue to keep you updated on developments, and my colleagues and I look forward to working even more closely with you in the future.'

Current Business at the Home Office

Last month's Home Office newsletter announced the publication of the Policing Green Paper, which aims to improve public confidence and give people more information about crime and policing where they live and work. One step towards this is the introduction of interactive maps on police websites which will allow residents to track crime patterns in their communities. Public crime maps are part of the Government's commitment to get people more involved with their local police. The new maps will give the public the information they need to hold their local police force to account. By the end of the year, every police force will begin mapping crime online so that residents can:

  • see where and when a crime has happened, down to street level for some crimes
  • compare crime rates in their neighbourhood to other areas
  • learn how crime is being tackled by local neighbourhood policing teams
  • On 20 August, the Home Secretary announced a £2.25 million funding package to support forces to recruit 6,000 new special constables. Special Constables are volunteers who serve as police officers in their own time, often in the evenings or at weekends. They are an intrinsic part of effective neighbourhood policing, working alongside Police Officers and Police Community Safety Officers.

The Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards deadline for entries is 31st August 2008. The awards recognise people who have made an outstanding contribution to tackling drug issues. Now in their third year, the Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards provide national recognition for individuals and teams that carry out inspirational work at a local level.

As the Home Secretary outlined above, more than 55,000 people have been stopped and searched, 2,500 arrests have been made for knife-related offences and more than 1,600 knives have been seized since the Government's new Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP), launched on 5th June 2008.

Last month, we reported that five Border Force flagship ports at Gatwick, Coquelles, Teesport, Edinburgh and Harwich are now live. These sites are being used to trial how integrated immigration and customs functions would work at the border.

We are already seeing successful results, including the following:

  • 3.5kg of cocaine was seized after a Gatwick Immigration Officer trained in customs profiling referred a case to Customs.
  • A passenger and suspected facilitator were removed after a Harwich Customs Officer spotted a counterfeit Japanese passport; and
  • A Polish national intercepted by an Immigration Officer at the Edinburgh flagship was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to importing cocaine illegally by internal concealment.

Other ports will benefit from these experiences as we begin to introduce the approach more widely in the autumn. The single point of contact for stakeholders for information about all flagship sites is: UKBorderAgency@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

New deportation provisions were implemented on 1st August. Initially they will only affect foreign criminals with a sentence of twelve months or more. Others who have several sentences totalling 12 months or more, and any others recommended by the court, will continue to be considered for deportation on conducive grounds.

From 28th July, all UK employers and educational institutions can now apply to become a licensed sponsor under the new Points Based System (PBS). UKBA will launch new guidance for PBS tiers 2 (skilled workers) and 5 (youth & temporary workers) in November which will replace the current work permit arrangements. Once launched, any organisation wishing to bring in non-EEA migrants to work or train must be licensed as a sponsor

The pilot to enrol the biometrics of further leave to remain applicants and their dependents in the spouse and student categories (postal applications only) ended on 25th July. As planned, we captured the fingerprints and facial images of more than 10,000 applicants. This three month pilot allowed us to test the processes and technology in preparation for the phased roll out of identity cards for foreign nationals that starts in November 2008.

Consultations

Following its publication on 17th July, the Policing Green Paper consultation period continues and will run until Friday 10th October 2008. Full details on how to respond are available here.

The consultation on proposals to reform and strengthen the common travel area runs until the 16th October 2008. Full details on how to respond are available here.

Contact us

If you're having difficulty contacting or engaging with the appropriate part of the Home Office relating to your area of practice, the Stakeholder Strategy Unit may be able to help.

If your query is regarding immigration, asylum, Home Office research and statistics, identity cards, passports or visas, you should contact each of these areas directly via their own websites in the first instance.

If however you are still having difficulty making contact with the Home Office then please feel free to contact the Stakeholder Strategy Unit by email or phone: 020 7035 6525

Home Office on YouTube

The Home Office now has a channel on the video-sharing website YouTube. One of the primary benefits of the new channel is that it enables the department to communicate directly with its stakeholders about how the department is making a difference on the frontline. Please have a look at the channel by going to: http://www.youtube.com/homeoffice