This document was archived on 31 March 2016

Working with the Home Secretary and the Home Office

archived This document was archived on 31 March 2016 Working with the Home Secretary and the Home Office

Important facts Background The Home Office also includes: • three agencies – the UK Border Agency, The introduction of police and crime commissioners The Home Secretary is head of the Home Office the Identity and Passport Service and (PCCs) will allow the Home Office to withdraw and is responsible for all of its work. She is also the Criminal Records Bureau – providing from day-to-day policing matters, giving the police the Minister for Women and Equalities. directly managed frontline services from greater freedom to fight crime as they see fit. It will within the Home Office; and The Home Office is made up of a number of also give local communities the power to hold the different groups. police to account. • a number of independent services and public bodies. • The Office for Security and Counter- The Home Secretary will continue to be legally Terrorism works with other departments The Home Office follows the Government’s accountable for national security and for the role and agencies to co-ordinate an effective values of freedom, fairness and responsibility. In that the police service plays in delivering any response to the threat of terrorism and future, the Home Office will be smaller, making national response to policing issues that arise. keep people safe using proportionate, sure that we deliver the best value for money for focused and open powers. the taxpayer and reflect the Government’s new The Home Secretary ultimately has to answer to approach of giving the power to make decisions, • The Crime and Policing Group works with Parliament and is responsible for making sure our funding, and accountability, to others and the police service and other partners to communities, in all force areas, are kept safe and intervening less. secure, and for protecting our national borders and reduce crime and protect the public. We are giving the public the power to hold the security. • The Government Equalities Office police to account for crime in their area, through works across government to improve their directly elected PCC. This will allow them a The policing protocol, which you can find athttp:// equality and reduce discrimination and real say in how their streets are policed. www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/police/ disadvantage in all aspects of life. It pcc/policing-protocol/, sets out the roles and is using a new approach to equality Alongside this shift in power, we want the responsibilities of the PCC, chief constable, police which is based on the principles of police to be able to get on with their jobs out and crime panel and the Home Secretary. archivedequal treatment and equal opportunity, and about in local communities, fighting crime working with businesses, the voluntary and not tied up by unnecessary procedures and Effective working relationships between sector and wider civil society to bring paperwork. Each PCC, once elected, will be these people will be essential. They will all be about change. responsible for making sure the policing needs expected to co-operate on the basis of goodwill, of their communities are met as effectively as • The Border Force is responsible for professionalism, openness and trust and to do their possible. utmost to make the relationships work. immigration and customs in the UK, including controls in France and Belgium. This document was archived on 31 March 2016 6. To protect people’s civil liberties by reversing state How will the Home More information interference into people’s lives.To protect people Secretary make sure from terrorism through the Government’s approach Our priorities for changing our structure are shown to counter-terrorism. that national and local below. policing issues are dealt 7. To build a fairer and more equal society by helping 1. To give the public the power to hold the police to with appropriately? to: account for their role in cutting crime by introducing The Home Secretary has powers directly elected PCCs and making police action to • create a fair and flexible job market; tackle crime and anti-social behaviour more open. and legal tools to give orders to all those who signed up to the policing • change culture and attitudes; 2. To free up the police to fight crime more effectively protocol if she considers that and efficiently by cutting police bureaucracy • give power back to individuals and there is a risk to public or national (unnecessary procedures and paperwork), end communities; security. unnecessary interference from the Government, and overhaul police powers to cut crime, reduce • improve equal opportunities in frontline These powers and tools will be used costs and improve police value for money. services and support; and only as a last resort. They will not be used to interfere with the will of 3. To simplify the structure of national institutions and • promote equal opportunities as a matter the PCC within a force area, or with set up a National Crime Agency to strengthen the of course in government departments and the office of constable, unless HM fight against organised crime. elsewhere. Inspector of Constabulary advised the Home Secretary that not to do 4. To create a more integrated criminal justice system The Government is committed to a programme of so would result in a police force by helping the police and other public services work reform that will turn government on its head. We want failing or national security being together across the criminal justice system. to bring about a shift in power, taking it away from threatened. central government and putting it into the hands of 5. To secure our borders and reduce immigration by: people and communities. These plans are central tools The Home Secretary has a duty for holding departments to account for putting the to issue the strategic policing • delivering an improved system that serves Government’s commitments into practice, replacing requirement, setting out what are, our economic interests and one that the the old top-down systems of targets and management in her view, the national threats, public have confidence in; from central government. and what the police need, at a national level, to be able to tackle • limiting non-EU economic migrants, them. introducing new measures to reduce the flow of migrants into the country and archived reducing the numbers of those who abuse migration routes, for example, the student route; and

• processing asylum applications more quickly and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes.