Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in Gloucester.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.
The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.
This Government will strengthen the powers available to the police to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle retail crime in Gloucester.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the last year of the previous government shoplifting soared to a twenty-year high, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.
Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job and the Government is committed to tackling retail crime.
We will end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods of and under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.
We will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.
As set out in the Autumn budget 2024, we will also provide law enforcement with over £7 million over the next three financial years to help support police in tackling retail crime.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effectiveness of legislation in preventing hate crime offences against LGBT+ people in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is absolutely committed to tackling all forms of hate crime across England and Wales, and I will continue to work with ministerial colleagues across relevant Government departments on how to strengthen the effectiveness of hate crime legislation.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government has set out an unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade. Achieving this mission will require a transformation in the way we work together on this issue across Government, public services, charities and the private sector.
We have already taken significant steps to improve the policing and criminal justice response to these heinous crimes, including the introduction of domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and the belated roll-out of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. The Home Office is also working with the NPCC and the College of Policing on the use of data-led tools to pursue the most prolific perpetrators.
To drive progress on the mission, we have established a violence against women and girls ministerial group, which will drive activity across Government departments, ranging from prevention work in schools to sustained support for victims and survivors.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to establish Young Futures Hubs in (a) Gloucester and (b) across the country.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to rolling out a new Youth Futures programme, including a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.
Officials from across a range of departments are already working together, using evidence of what works to start to shape how the prevention partnerships and hubs will work in practice. As part of this we are engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the programme and explore options for it’s delivery, ensuring we are making use of the vast knowledge and experience that already exists. This includes considerations of the most suitable locations as well as how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from their support.
We will provide further detail on the future timelines for delivery as the work develops.