Crime


Neuroscience and knife crime 24/04/2019 Gifford Sutherland, knife crime expert at The Training Hub, provides some insight into neuroscience, young people and knife crime.
Manhole cover theft to cost Doncaster taxpayer over £50,000 03/04/2019 Doncaster Council has to pay out thousands of pounds to replace stolen manhole covers after a sustained period of theft.
Two arrested in Blackpool slavery investigation 03/04/2019 An investigation into modern slavery and human trafficking supported by Blackpool Council has resulted in two arrests.
Councils to be part of ‘multi-agency initiative’ against knife crime 01/04/2019 Local authorities will be among the bodies involved in a multi-agency initiative against knife crime launched by home secretary Sajid Javid.
Council launches recall petition to remove Fiona Onasanya 20/03/2019 Peterborough Council has launched a petition to decide if disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya will be allowed to keep her parliamentary seat.
‘County Lines’ major driver behind rise in slavery reporting 20/03/2019 The number of potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery reported to the authorities has risen by more than 80% in two years, new data reveals.
Council-employed gang convicted of £1m benefit fraud 20/03/2019 Seven benefit assessors have been convicted of housing benefit fraud which saw more than £1m stolen from three local authorities in London.
Youth service funding essential to tackle ‘spate of violence’, council chiefs say 11/03/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to invest more in youth justice grants as part of the effort to tackle knife crime.
Preventing urban crime through environmental design 07/03/2019 Gavin Hepburn outlines the four main principles of crime prevention through environmental design.
Former Spice Girl raises awareness of economic abuse 06/03/2019 Spice Girl Mel B has visited Downing Street as the Government prepares to recognise economic abuse in its definition of domestic abuse for the first time.
Council officer fined nearly £700 for data breach 28/02/2019 A former council officer has been fined hundreds of pounds after he emailed confidential information to his partner to help her in a job interview.
Council spending on tackling ‘criminal landlords’ down a quarter 28/02/2019 The amount councils spend on tackling landlords who break the law has been cut by a quarter in recent years, according to the latest analysis.
Nine men convicted of child sexual exploitation 27/02/2019 Bradford council has insisted that safeguarding young people is its ‘top priority’ after nine men were convicted of child sexual exploitation.
Black Country ban on 'car cruising' upheld in court 25/02/2019 Wolverhampton council has welcomed a decision by the High Court to uphold the local authority’s injunction banning car cruising in the Black Country.
Whitehall announces nearly £10m fund to tackle gang culture 25/02/2019 Communities across England are to receive a share of a £9.5m fund aimed at helping families who are vulnerable to the effects of knife crime and gang culture, the communities secretary has announced.
Superhead ordered to repay council over £1m stolen from his school 22/02/2019 A superhead has been ordered to pay back Brent Council £1.4m he received in illegal bonuses while he was head of a school in Wembley.
Sexual harassment is everyone's problem, not just the rich and powerful 22/02/2019 Is local government failing to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace? Mark Whitehead investigates.
Pilot project helps a third of youths quit ‘county lines’ 14/02/2019 Specialist support helped nearly a third of young people in a pilot project to quit 'county lines' involvement with drugs, according to a review.
Rochdale council worker jailed for £80,000 fraud 07/02/2019 A council worker has been jailed for defrauding Rochdale Borough Council of £80,000 - money that was then spent on prostitutes and cocaine.
Front-line workers ‘must get better’ at tackling child exploitation by drug gangs 30/01/2019 Front-line professionals ‘must get better’ at spotting signs that children are being exploited, a children’s charity has said in response to an annual assessment of county lines drug networks.
Council worker jailed for £1m pension fund theft 28/01/2019 A man who defrauded the pension fund of Westminster City Council of over £1m has been jailed for seven years.
Khan announces £85m to tackle violent crime 25/01/2019 Sadiq Khan has announced he will be using £85m of city hall funding to tackle violent crime.
Whitehall must stop ‘rogue landlords’ receiving public money, council says 22/01/2019 Brent Council has urged the Government to stop rogue landlords who fail ‘fit and proper’ tests from receiving housing benefit.
Crime prevention budgets ‘slashed’ under Tories 21/01/2019 Crime prevention budgets have been cut by more than a half since 2010, an analysis from Labour has revealed.
Benefit assessors convicted of £1m housing benefit fraud 18/01/2019 Seven benefit assessors in London have been convicted of a housing benefit fraud worth over £1m.
Mayoral candidate steps down after wife’s GBH conviction revealed 16/01/2019 The mayor-elect of Redbridge has withdrawn his nomination after it was revealed that his wife was involved in the killing of a TV executive.
Council chiefs warn of scams targeting the vulnerable 16/01/2019 Local authority leaders have called on carers and families to be aware of fraud targeting older and more vulnerable people.
Police arrest 55 in connection with child sex abuse cases 15/01/2019 Police have arrested 55 men in connection with historical child sex abuse cases in West Yorkshire.
New £400 fly-tipping penalty comes into force 08/01/2019 The new financial penalties for fly-tipping, which could see fines of up to £400 being handed to offenders, are now in force.
Labour promises to repeal nineteenth-century Vagrancy Act 24/12/2018 The Labour Party has announced that they plan to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824 which criminalises begging and rough sleeping.
Child cruelty and neglect crimes double in past five years 04/12/2018 The number of child cruelty and neglect cases recorded by police have doubled over the last five years, a children’s charity has warned.
FGM concerns raised by social workers increases at ‘alarming’ rate 30/11/2018 New data on Female Genital Mutilation has revealed that the number of children flagged by social workers as being at risk from the abusive practice has doubled in the last year.
Birmingham to build crime prevention into social housing developments 30/11/2018 Birmingham City Council has become the first council to join a national police-run scheme which will see crime prevention techniques built into all its new social housing developments.
Councils failing to protect tenants from ‘rogue landlords’ 29/11/2018 Tenants and good landlords are being failed by a system unable to root out criminal landlords, the results of a freedom of information request show.
Threat of prison over unpaid council tax ends in Wales 05/11/2018 People will no longer be sent to prison for failing to pay their council tax, the Welsh government has announced.
Excluded schoolchildren at risk of violence and criminal exploitation 30/10/2018 Rising numbers of children being excluded from school are at risk of becoming involved in gangs and knife crime, charity leaders and MPs have warned.
Whitehall ‘failing’ in fight against sexual harassment 23/10/2018 The Government is ‘failing’ to tackle the problem of sexual harassment of women and girls in public places, MPs have warned.
‘Lessons have been learned’ after child abuse case, council says 22/10/2018 Kirklees Council insists ‘lessons have been learned’ in the wake of what has been described as a seven-year campaign of rape and abuse in Huddersfield.
Whitehall announces £5m fund to fight knife crime 22/10/2018 Local authorities are being given the opportunity to bid for funding to tackle youth and gang crime in high-risk areas.
People convicted of serious crimes banned from councils 19/10/2018 Rules to prevent people found guilty of serious crimes from serving on local councils will be strengthened following a public consultation, the Government has announced.
Experts call for an end to imprisonment for council tax debt 17/10/2018 English councils are being urged to end the use of imprisonment for the non-payment of council tax.
Council employee convicted of £1m pension fund fraud 16/10/2018 A former Westminster City Council employee has been convicted for defrauding the council pension fund of nearly £1m.
Whitehall announces ‘refresh’ of hate crime legislation 16/10/2018 The Government today announced a series of measures aimed at tackling hate crime, including £1.5m for community groups that challenge prejudice and hatred.
Councils struggle to stop rogue retailers selling knives to children 15/10/2018 Local authority leaders have called for more powers to crack down on retailers illegally selling knives to children.
Poverty can lead to self-harm and violent crime, study shows 11/10/2018 Children from poorer families are at ‘significantly greater risk’ of being involved in violent crime and harming themselves later in life, new study shows.
‘Transparency map’ launched to tackle modern slavery 10/10/2018 A new website promises to help councils check if any of their suppliers are using modern slaves.
Councils cheated out of £1m by housing benefit assessors 03/10/2018 Lambeth, Kingston, and Barking and Dagenham councils were cheated out of £1m by a group of housing benefit assessors who used dummy claimants, court has heard.
Javid announces £200m to tackle youth violence 03/10/2018 Local government leaders have welcomed the announcement of a new fund to tackle violent crime — but renewed calls to reverse cuts in public health budgets.
Councillor charged with posting ‘indecent’ messages online 26/09/2018 A councillor has been charged for posting allegedly ‘obscene’ and ‘menacing’ messages on social media.
Vulnerable offenders increasingly referred to health services rather than prison 10/08/2018 Offenders with mental health, alcohol and drug abuse problems are increasingly being referred to health services as part of community sentences.
Council warns financial details of 6,000 people have been hacked 09/08/2018 The financial details of up to 6,000 people have been illegally accessed, a London council has warned.
Council first to fine people for soliciting prostitutes 06/08/2018 An East London council is set to be the first to issue on-the-spot fines for people using prostitutes.
Government publishes new guidelines on protecting vulnerable suspects 01/08/2018 New guidelines have been issued to protect vulnerable adults suspected of committing an offence.
Five people sentenced for £200k council fraud 30/07/2018 Five men who defrauded a Leicestershire council out of more than £200,000 through an email scam have been sentenced.
Manchester CC ‘unanimously’ approves charter against slavery 12/07/2018 Manchester City Council has called on the Government to provide more support for victims of modern slavery.
Wiltshire gets £5m boost to cover cost of novichok attacks 12/07/2018 The Government has given Wiltshire Council nearly £1m to help cover the cost of handling the recent novichok poisonings.
Council cancels World Cup public screenings after ‘outbreaks of disorder’ 10/07/2018 Middlesbrough Council has cancelled the public screening of England’s World Cup semi-final after ‘outbreaks of disorder’ during the last match.
Council left with £80k bill to clean up four abandoned trailers 08/06/2018 Four 40ft articulated trailers containing rubbish have been dumped in Bromley, costing the council more than £80,000 to deal with.
Council gang prevention programme gets £800,000 boost 07/06/2018 Waltham Forest Council has allocated an additional £806,000 of funding over four years in order to ‘reshape’ its gang prevention programme.
Whitehall announces ‘co-ordinated’ approach to fighting terrorism 04/06/2018 The Government’s updated counter-terrorism strategy will include closer cooperation with local authorities, Sajid Javid says.
Church launches anti-slavery app 04/06/2018 Council chiefs have endorsed a new app designed to help gather information about modern slavery in car washes.
Council fights thieves by ‘armour-plating’ parking meters 17/05/2018 Leicester City Council has been forced to armour-plate its parking meters to discourage thieves.
Council secures conviction over ‘mass destruction’ of protected trees 02/05/2018 Borough of Poole has successfully prosecuted a man after he illegally chopped down 11 protected trees in the garden of his property.
Whitehall launches £40m strategy to fight violent crime 09/04/2018 The Government today launched a multi-million pound strategy to tackle the ‘root causes’ of violent crime, including a task force involving local authorities.
The harassment and intimidation of local councillors 06/04/2018 From death threats to online harassment, just why are councillors subject to increasing levels of abuse? Neil Merrick investigates.
British citizens ‘largest nationality’ recorded in slavery figures 27/03/2018 British citizens are for the first time the largest nationality recorded as potential victims in the national trafficking and modern slavery figures.
Council employee exploited systems ‘failures’ to steal £1m 22/03/2018 Failures in ‘fundamental controls’ within Dundee City Council’s financial systems allowed a former employee to steal £1m from the authority, auditors conclude.
Schools evacuated after hoax bomb threat 20/03/2018 Pupils across England were evacuated yesterday after an aggrieved gamer sent a hoax email threatening to bomb one of hundreds of schools.
Javid latest MP to receive 'punish a Muslim' letter 16/03/2018 Local government secretary Sajid Javid has become the fifth politician to receive a hate-filled anti-Muslim letter.
Dismissed council employee pleads guilty to fraud 08/03/2018 A former civil enforcement supervisor at Reading council has been issued a 17-week suspended jail sentence after admitting to fraud.
Cuts to youth services lead to rise in crime warn councils 05/03/2018 Government funding cuts have served to undermine years of work by local authorities in tackling youth crime, council chiefs warn.
Councils protect residents from 'fake news' and scammers 26/02/2018 Local government leaders have issued guidance to help protect residents from scammers pretending to be from the council.
Council praised for not sweeping sexual exploitation 'under the carpet' 23/02/2018 Newcastle City Council has been praised for the way it supported and protected the victims of sexual exploitation in a new report.
Former council worker fined for snapchatting personal data 23/02/2018 A former apprentice at Southwark Council has been fined after illegally sharing personal information about schoolchildren and their parents via Snapchat.
Council chiefs call for ‘minimum’ £30,000 fine for rogue landlords 23/02/2018 Rogue landlords who commit serious housing offences should be fined a minimum of £30,000, council chiefs say.
Seven council staff arrested in fraud probe 16/02/2018 Seven members of staff at Cardiff Council have been arrested on suspicion of fraud, the council has confirmed.
Blue Badge thefts quadruple in five years 15/02/2018 The theft of Blue Badges has quadrupled in the last five years, council chiefs warn.
Drug addiction costs West Midlands £1.4bn a year 13/02/2018 The West Midlands PCC has called for a joined up approach to tackling drug addiction after a report found the cost of substance misuse to the area was £1.4bn a year.
Cornwall Council helps slavery victims after police raid 09/02/2018 Cornwall Council is providing welfare and support services for 14 people following a police raid on a flower-picking farm.
Latest figures show many young women at risk from FGM 06/02/2018 Seven out of ten newly recorded cases of FGM are women aged 35 or younger, new analysis has revealed today.
Councils recognised for ‘best’ cyber security 06/02/2018 Northumberland, Cardiff and Denbighshire councils have been named as three of the organisations best defending themselves from online scams.
Fraudster jailed over £45k council tax scam 02/02/2018 A man who used forged university documentation to scam eight local authorities out of £45,000 in council tax has been jailed for 18 months.
Rogue landlords forced to pay back ‘racketeering’ proceeds 02/02/2018 Brent has become the first council in the country to use the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) against slum landlords for breaches of licensing conditions.
Greenwich leader defends decision to remove ‘shrine’ to murdered soldier 01/02/2018 The leader of Greenwich Council has defended the authority’s decision to remove an unofficial memorial to the murdered soldier Lee Rigby in the face of attacks from far-right extremists.
Council apologises for historical child sex abuse 18/01/2018 The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has apologised to victims of historical child sex abuse, admitting the council failed to protect some children.
Council chiefs call for ‘cross-sector’ approach to fighting slavery 17/01/2018 Local authority leaders have called for a ‘coherent, cross-sector’ approach to tackling modern slavery as new figures reveal an increase of almost 50% in the number of people referred as potential victims.
Bristol council to investigate failures after racist murder 16/01/2018 Councillors in Bristol have agreed to launch an investigation into how the council failed to support Bijan Ebrahimi who was murdered in a racist attack.
Council forced to remove fake parking signs 12/01/2018 A council has been forced to remove fake residents-only parking signs after an estimated 18 appeared across two streets.
Council to introduce PSPO to fight ‘verbal and racial abuse’ 10/01/2018 Richmondshire council is set to introduce an order banning groups of youths congregating in Colburn after more than 200 incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported.
Khan warns cuts ‘reversed’ progress in tackling causes of crime 05/01/2018 Central Government cuts have ‘reversed decades of progress’ in tackling the root causes of violent offending, says the Mayor of London.
Council road sweeper convicted after driving at detective 05/01/2018 A council road sweeper from Wales has pleaded guilty to theft of diesel and careless driving after driving his vehicle at a detective.
Council reaches settlement with victims of alleged paedophile 20/12/2017 A council has agreed to pay eight victims of an alleged paedophile in an out-of-court settlement.
Council apologises after institutional racism finding 18/12/2017 Bristol City Council has apologised after being accused of institutional racism in the case of a murdered Iranian man.
Children in care criminalised for ‘minor issues’ 18/12/2017 Children living in care are being criminalised for ‘minor issues’, new report from a penal reform charity warns.
Over 14,000 FGM cases recorded in two years, NHS reveals 06/12/2017 The NHS has recorded more than 14,000 new cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) over the past two years, new data reveals.
Councils urged to drop prison threats for council tax debts 28/11/2017 Money advice experts call for change in law to protect people from being locked up for council tax debts.
Child sexual exploitation case reveals ‘missed opportunities’ to intervene 03/11/2017 A serious case review into the sexual exploitation of teenage girls in Somerset has found ‘missed opportunities’ for earlier intervention by the council.
Schools should have mandatory plans to tackle knife crime, Khan says 01/11/2017 London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday announced all schools should have mandatory plans in place to help prevent knife crime.
Fraudster jailed for stealing identity to get council job 20/10/2017 A fraudster who used another man’s identity to gain a council job and home as well as thousands in benefits has been jailed, a London council has reported.
Accomplice of London Tube bomber is sacked from council job 11/10/2017 Southwark Council has undertaken a review of its procedures after a woman who helped a would-be suicide bomber escape managed to secure a job at the authority.

Neuroscience and knife crime

Gifford Sutherland, knife crime expert at The Training Hub, provides some insight into neuroscience, young people and knife crime.

Don’t play the hokey-cokey with health

Local government has turned public health around despite funding cuts. Now it not the time to think about returning the service to the NHS, argues Nathan Elvery.

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