Key Facts

• The amendment to clause 73 ensures criminal behavior uncovered in family courts is considered during the vetting process.
• New clause 6 proposes automatic dismissal of officers convicted of serious crimes without disciplinary proceedings under section 50 of the Police Act 1996.
• New clause 7 mandates an initial 30-day suspension for officers charged with indictable offenses, with pay, and requires a determination on whether to continue suspension before Regulation 11 applies.
• New clause 8 allows chief officers to dismiss without notice if an officer fails vetting and cannot be deployed to full duties within a reasonable timeframe.
• New clause 9 introduces a duty for officers to hand over personal mobile phones upon request by the appropriate authority under suspicious circumstances of gross misconduct.
• New clause 33 amends Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002 to treat all allegations of police perpetrated domestic abuse as recordable complaints or conduct matters.
• The reforms announced last August are being progressed at pace.
• Regulations will be laid before Parliament this side of the summer recess.
• Part of the changes can be brought into force as soon as spring, with others following shortly after.
• A right of appeal for chief constables to the police appeals tribunal is proposed under primary legislation.
• Regulations will be changed to introduce statutory requirements for officer vetting.
• Chief constables will chair disciplinary panels rather than legally qualified chairs.
• A right of appeal exists for officers dismissed by chief constable's decision.
• Automatic dismissal regulations for certain criminal offences will be introduced in spring.
• The MP discusses concerns about seizing personal mobile phones under Article 8 of the ECHR.
• New clauses 33 and 34 propose measures that have been previously accepted in principle but require further work before inclusion.
• There is a set of mandatory referral criteria for misconduct investigations by the IOPC, which includes serious assault and sexual assault.
• Evidence from family courts is not currently considered when vetting decisions are made.
• Family court proceedings are closed and generally not published.
• Police national database includes criminal conduct reported to the police, but it does not include unreported allegations upheld in family court on a civil standard.
• Syms has tabled amendments addressing issues related to the family courts.
• The Ministry of Justice conducted a harms review three years ago which identified serious cases of child abuse and rape in family courts.
• No changes have been implemented since the review.
• New clause 45 concerns creating a standalone offence for intentionally administering harmful substances without consent.
• The new clause would replace sections 23 and 24 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861, modernizing language and capturing all forms of offending related to spiking.
• The proposed legislation includes penalties on summary conviction or indictment.
• New clause 45 aims to clarify and modernize the Offences against the Person Act 1861.
• The amendment replaces outdated language with terms like 'intentionally' and 'recklessly'.
• Spiking incidents reported to the police have increased fivefold in recent years according to a Channel 4 FOI request.
• Spiking is covered under new clause 45.
• New clause 45 covers spiking via needle, vape, drink or food substance.
• Training for nightclub bouncers on spiking will be mandatory from April this year.
• A national reporting tool operated by police forces in England and Wales allows anonymous reports of suspected spiking incidents.
• The new clause aims to remove criminal penalties for women seeking abortions.
• Sections 58, 59, and 60 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 would be repealed or modified by regulations.
• Regulations must ensure no person acting in relation to their own pregnancy is sentenced to a custodial sentence unless they have not consented to the abortion.
• The new clause aims to remove criminal penalties for women ending their own pregnancies.
• Only three women have been convicted of illegal abortions in the UK since the Abortion Act 1967 was passed, but six appeared in court in the last 18 months.
• Police investigations into abortion offences are increasing, and some women face harsh consequences even when no evidence exists that they had an abortion.
• Labour believes that abortion is an essential part of healthcare.
• A woman was jailed for 28 months (reduced to 14 months suspended) under section 58 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.
• The British Medical Association supports action but does not support criminal sanctions for women or health professionals in abortion-related cases.
• The Government supports access to safe, regulated abortion services under NHS laws.
• Under section 58 of the Offences against the Person Act, it is an offence for a pregnant woman to procure her own miscarriage unlawfully.
• There has been one criminal conviction in the last six years related to abortion offences in England and Wales.
• The MP has been in Parliament for nine years.
• Prior amendments came from her right hon. Friend's tabled suggestions.
• A Labour Government would ensure time to consider the issue properly.
• The amendments apply to section 93 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.
• Service policemen must have reasonable grounds to believe items are stolen goods or evidence in relation to an offence under section 42.
• Powers include seizing items subject to legal privilege, excluded material, and special procedure material.
• New Clause 13 amends section 309 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.
• It inserts subsection (1A) after existing subsection (1).
• Subsection (1A) grants jurisdiction to the Court Martial for dealing with offenders who fail without reasonable excuse to comply with an order under section 259A(2).
• The penalty for non-compliance is modified to include a term of up to two years, in addition to existing penalties.
• The amendments include allowing an approved constable to take a non-intimate sample from a person if certain conditions are met.
• An arrest condition, age condition (person must be 18 or over), and request condition must all be satisfied before taking the sample.
• A person who fails without good cause to give a sample may face imprisonment for up to three months or a fine.
• The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 is amended to enable notification orders for domestic and service offences.
• Section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 authorisation requirement by police officers of at least inspector rank is removed.
• Local authorities are given the power to authorise persons to use dispersal powers under Part 3 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.