Policing and Crime Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages

The Policing and Crime Bill is a carry-over bill from the 2015–16 session. The Bill completed its final stages in the House of Commons on 13 June 2016, and was introduced in the House of Lords on 14 June 2016. The Bill consists of nine parts:

• Part 1 would place a statutory duty on police, fire and ambulance services to collaborate to improve efficiency and effectiveness, and would enable Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to take on responsibility for fire and rescue services.
• Part 2 would reform the police complaints and disciplinary systems, and includes measures to extend the disciplinary regime to former officers for up to twelve months after they have left the police; make changes to the governance of the IPCC; and confer new protections on police whistle‑blowers.
• Part 3 would enable chief officers to confer a wider range of policing powers on police civilian staff and volunteers.
• Part 4 would introduce a presumption that bail conditions would not apply to suspects released prior to charge, and would create a new offence of breach of pre-charge bail conditions which relate to travel for individuals arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. It would also make changes to the rules governing how the police deal with people suffering mental crises under sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
• Part 5 would make changes to the terms of office for Deputy PCCs and would give the Home Secretary the power to change the name of a police area by order.
• Part 6 would amend the Firearms Act 1968 and would provide a statutory definition of the terms ‘lethal’, ‘component part’ and ‘antique firearm’, which are currently undefined in legislation.
• Part 7 would amend the Licensing Act 2003 to make clear that powdered and vaporised alcohol are both covered by the Act.
• Part 8 contains provisions relating to the enforcement of EU, UN and other financial sanctions.
• Part 9 would amend the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to mandate that offences relating to child sexual exploitation cover the streaming or transmission of indecent images of children. It would enable the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to local taxi and private_­­ hire licensing authorities with regard to the protection of children and vulnerable adults