Speeches by Johnson.

“Q It is very nice to see you again, Sir Robert. I will start by asking what you welcome in the Bill. Sir Robert Buckland: There is a lot to welcome in every crime Bill, particularly given the need to update the response of police and law enforcement to the growing risks posed by technology. We are now living in an age …”

“Would either of the other members of the panel like to say anything on that? Dan Murphy: I agree with all that. The Police Superintendents Association supports that change.”

“But you support the change in threshold. Tiff Lynch: Yes.”

“So your view is that it will speed up proceedings. Tiff Lynch: One would hope so.”

“Q May I ask Tiff Lynch about the proposed changes to the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s referral threshold? The view is that it will probably result in fewer referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service around misconduct. Why will that be beneficial? Tiff Lynch: It is simply about time and the length of investig…”

“Mr Murphy, do you have a view on this? Dan Murphy: No, nothing further.”

“Q Can I ask about the new offences for assaults on a retail worker and the £200 threshold being removed? How will both of those assist policing in dealing with the spike in shop thefts we have seen over the last few years? Chief Constable De Meyer: When I appear at community events, I often find that the £200 point is …”

“Q Mr Murphy, would you like to say something from the Police Superintendents Association? Dan Murphy: It has come under the banner of antisocial behaviour, which it is. A lot of antisocial behaviour issues that police deal with are for those who are under the age of 18. This applies to those 18 and over. The power is g…”

“Q The commitment to introducing 13,000 neighbourhood police officers to tackle some of this antisocial behaviour in communities, high streets and town centres links together quite well with that. Would you agree? Tiff Lynch: Yes, it does, but I come back to the time required for the follow-on processes. Once you have d…”

“Q Thank you. I want to talk about respect orders. The Bill will introduce respect orders for the most persistent adult offenders of antisocial behaviour. Can each of you say something about how these new measures will enable the police to tackle antisocial behaviour more effectively? Chief Constable De Meyer: We think …”

“But do you think that inspector-level authorisation is the appropriate level? Dan Murphy: Yes. Tiff Lynch: Good morning, Minister. I agree with both Chief Constable De Meyer and Dan Murphy in relation to the authorisation level. Again, I would say that we have to manage the expectations of victims of crime as to how sp…”

“Does any other panel member want to comment? Dan Murphy: I think we need to make sure that we have the right training and guidance. Because of the power that we have, we should expect challenge. There will be challenge. My “reasonable grounds to believe” may be different from those of somebody else around the table. To…”

“Q Thank you very much for giving evidence today. I want to follow up on the questions about allowing police to go in without a warrant to recover digital devices with tracking devices. The Bill refers to “reasonable grounds to believe”, which is the test that would have to be applied, and requires authorisation by an i…”

“Good morning, Dr Allin-Khan. I am minded that we have a busy day ahead of us, so I will move the preliminary motions formally. Ordered, That— 1. the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 11.30 am on Thursday 27 March) meet— (a) at 2.00 pm on Thursday 27 March; (b) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 1 Apri…”

“Let me start by thanking the hon. and gallant Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) for securing this debate on an issue that matters enormously to us all. As ever, his opening speech was, as is his way, eloquent, thought-provoking and challenging. It ranged widely, including on the role of social media—he referred s…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for telling the House about the excellent work in her constituency, in particular the role of the PCSOs. Time is short and a lot of questions were raised with me. If I do not have the chance to answer all of them, I will write to hon. Members specifically. The House will know that, under…”

“Of course we want to see all parts of policing properly staffed and funded. That is why there is more than £1 billion going into the policing settlement for the coming year, over and above what was in the 2024-25 Budget. This Government are committed to making sure we have officers in our neighbourhoods and communities…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under you this morning, Sir Jeremy. I thank the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East (Saqib Bhatti) for securing this important debate, and for an eloquent speech setting out his concerns about the issues of knife crime and stop and search. I want to remember, as the hon. Gentleman did, t…”

“My hon. Friend raises a really interesting point. On the specifics of that example, we were very clear when the provisional police settlement was announced before Christmas that we wanted to listen to what policing had to say about the figures. One of the issues that was raised was about neighbourhood policing. That is…”

“The black hole that the previous Government left this Government to clear up is actually £22 billion. As a Minister who has been in post for nine months, I am very conscious that the whole area of prevention was slashed under previous Conservative Governments, and we are now reaping the consequences. One of my hon. Fri…”