Victims services prominent in raft of Tory commitments

The Conservative Party has pledged to implement a raft of policing reforms including an expansion in police-led prosecutions, a crackdown on legal highs and a simplification of the process to deport foreign criminals.

The proposals form part of the party’s manifesto, which was launched on April 14 by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Speaking to Police Professional Policing Minister Mike Penning pledged to increase the number of police-led prosecutions (those that do not need the evidence of a victim), which he feels will ensure justice is done regardless of any attempts by the perpetrator to target the victim.

“If there is a public interest to take the public prosecution forward then the police and the Crown Prosecution Service should be able to take responsibility if the victim, for whatever reason, decides they do not want to proceed,” he said.

Mr Penning said the role of police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will be developed ensuring that they have more accountability and a greater role in providing services for victims.

“The victim has been forgotten for too long, we must make sure they are part of the criminal justice process. PCCs are a really important part of that service.”

However, he would not confirm the level of potential cuts to the police grant but said there will be savings that need to be made within police budgets.

“We’ve made efficiency savings over the last five years, and we can see there are more efficiencies where forces are joining together and collaborating.

“If you want more money for the police then you need a really good economy where people are willing to come in and invest, creating more tax, which is where the money will come from.”

He refused to speculate as to whether there will be any protection for funding but said that, if in government, the Conservatives will commit to a fundamental review of the police funding formula.

Proposals for creating a blanket ban on all new psychoactive substances and a pledge to scrap the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights, which the Conservatives believe will ensure foreign criminals can be deported more easily, were also included in the manifesto.

Mr Cameron said that if elected his party will enable fire and police services to work more closely together and will improve the diversity of police recruitment through the support of new direct entry and fast-track schemes.

He also confirmed plans to legislate the use of stop and search if it does not become more targeted and said he would make sobriety orders available across England and Wales which would be enforced through new alcohol monitoring tags.

The manifesto gave details of the party’s modern crime prevention strategy, which will look to address the key drivers of crime. The initiative will involve publishing standards, performance data and a ranking system for the security of smartphones and tablets, as well as online financial and retail services.

Mr Penning said he had listened to forces’ calls for a greater share of money confiscated from criminals and that the increase proposed by amending the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) was a way of “incentivising” the agencies involved.

“Forces are asking for more than 50 per cent and we’ve accepted that. The more you clamp down on this activity the more money you will receive,” he said.

Currently half of the proceeds seized from criminals are split between police and justice agencies. Mr Penning is proposing an increase in that percentage, but said there is no firm idea about what the figure could be.

The Conservatives also pledged to introduce a new semi-custodial sentence for prolific criminals, allowing for a “short, sharp spell in custody to change behaviour”. Mr Penning says this proposal, which was unsuccessfully trialled in the 1980s, failed because the victim was not involved in the original scheme.

“Prison must be seen as a deterrent. What we’re trying to do is prevention, trying to get these people off the criminal trajectory that they are on.”

A promise to br