Today, the Government are introducing new legislation to Parliament which will deliver on our manifesto commitment and give the police and courts greater powers to do their jobs, whilst ensuring the most violent criminals spend longer behind bars.
We need a fair justice system – one that stands for the law-abiding majority, not the criminal minority. The Government pledged to crack down on crime and build safer communities – and our Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill delivers on that commitment, ensuring punishments fit the severity of the crime .
The Government are introducing new protections and powers for the police while reforming sentencing. Measures include:
- Whole Life Orders for child killers, with judges also allowed to impose this punishment on 18 to 20 year olds in exceptional cases.
- New powers to halt the automatic early release of offenders who pose a danger to the public. The Bill also ends the halfway release of offenders sentenced for serious violent and sexual offences.
- Introducing life sentences for killer drivers.
- Serious Violence Reduction Orders – new stop and search powers against convicted knife offensive weapons offenders. The Government will also enshrine the police covenant in law.
- Doubling the maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker from 12 months to 2 years.
- Ensuring community sentences are stricter and better target underlying causes of crime such as mental health issues, alcohol or drug addiction.
- Increasing the maximum penalty for criminal damage of a memorial from 3 months to 10 years.
This Bill builds on our progress to deliver 20,000 more police officers and delivers on this Conservative Government’s pledge to restore confidence in the criminal justice system, giving our full support to the police and courts to cut crime and make our streets safer.
For more information on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, including more detail on the new laws to reform sentencing, the courts and offender management and the new protections and powers for the police, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/justice-overhaul-to-better-protect-the-public-and-back-our-police.
