Written questions by Morton.

What recent discussions she has had with retailers on the potential impact of recent trends in the level of retail crime and shoplifting.

The Government recognises the importance of close partnership with the retail sector in tackling retail crime. Home Office Ministers and officials, regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including major nationwide retailers, trade associations, security providers policing partners, and other law enforcement agencies through forums such as the Retail Crime Forum and wider bilateral engagement. The most recent Retail Crime Forum meeting was held on 17 March, chaired by Ministers, it supports this oongoing dialogue and ensures that industry expertise informs our approach and ensures we understand the needs of all retailers to prevent and reduce retail crime.

What estimate she has made of the number of deportation or removal cases in which claims made under Articles 2, 3 or 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights have delayed or prevented removal action in each of the last five years; what assessment she has made of the impact of those cases on public confidence in the immigration system; and whether she plans to review the role of domestic courts and tribunals in immigration and asylum proceedings.

We are committed to the European Convention on Human Rights. However, to retain public confidence in our policies on irregular migration, asylum and criminal justice, the European Convention on Human Rights and other instruments must evolve to face modern challenges.We are grateful for the vital work undertaken by the FTT-IAC and the Government continues to invest in its capacity through funding additional sitting days and judicial recruitment. However, the scale and nature of the current immigration and asylum appeals caseload cannot be sustainably managed within its existing limits. As previously announced, the Government will establish a new independent appeals body which will offer increased capacity and an enhanced ability to prioritise cases in the public interest.The information requested on numbers of deportation or removal cases is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

How she plans to expand the remit of the visa taskforce referenced in the Statement of 9 March 2026; what additional resources she will allocate to this work; how individuals identified as extremist risks will be assessed within visa processes; and how this policy will interact with existing Home Office counter-extremism and border security frameworks.

As set out in the recently published "Protecting What Matters" document, overseas speakers of extremist concern will be identified and referred to specialist teams to take swift immigration action, including cancelling or refusing their visas or ETAs, should they attempt to travel to the UK.To deliver this work, the Disruptions team, which horizon scans for extremist influence and events, will be expanded with additional operational and analytical resource. This builds on strong enforcement action by the team over the past two years, where the highest harm extremists from across the political spectrum were targeted and stopped from coming to the UK.The Home Office already has sophisticated mechanisms in place to seek out and prevent extremist individuals from entering the UK. This work operates in conjunction with existing border security and immigration frameworks.Each case will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If an individual is deemed to be "non-conducive to the public good", then immigration officials may take action including refusal or cancelling entry clearance or permission to stay in the UK.

What steps she is taking with her Ethiopian counterpart to improve the efficiency of returns of Ethiopian nationals with no right to remain in the UK.

The Home Office, working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, engages regularly with the Ethiopian Government to support the return of Ethiopian nationals with no right to remain in the UK.In February 2026 the Foreign Secretary visited Ethiopia and discussed cooperation on illegal migration and returns with Ethiopian counterparts, and officials are taking forward further technical and operational engagement to enhance cooperation on returns.The Government has removed or deported nearly 60,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals since it took office.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of youth scrutiny panels in improving trust and accountability in the use of stop and search powers; what data her Department has collected on changes in the level of disproportionality following the introduction of such panels; and whether she will publish comparative data across police force areas.

Stop and search is a vital tool for tackling crime, but it must be used fairly and effectively. Trust and accountability in its use are crucial, and the government recognises that youth scrutiny panels can play a positive role in strengthening confidence and transparency.The Home Office does not collect national level data on how youth scrutiny panels affect disproportionality in stop and search.However, the Department does publish significant data annually on ethnic disparity rates in stop and search. Black individuals remain 3.8 times more likely to be stopped and searched than White individuals. The government continues to consider a range of tools and approaches that could support further reductions in disproportionality, including the role of youth scrutiny panels.

With reference to the matter of banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, what recent discussions she has had with the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner on the adequacy of the accountability and oversight of West Midlands Police.

The Government recognises that public confidence in policing is fundamental to the effectiveness of the police and to the principle of policing by consent.I met the Acting Chief Constable, Scott Green, for West Midlands Police on 21 January. I was assured that appropriate steps are being taken to rebuild trust and confidence in the force and its leadership team, including with local communities.The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation, using its power of initiative, into the role of West Midlands Police in the intelligence and decision‑making that led to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.Accountability for the performance of West Midlands Police rests primarily with the directly elected West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public. The PCC has a range of statutory powers to scrutinise force performance and governance, and to ensure that public confidence is maintained.From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” published on 26 January set out the Government’s proposals to reintroduce a power for the Home Secretary to remove a Chief Constable on performance grounds and reforming the appointment, suspension and dismissal of Chief Constables.Through Home Office funding to the NPCC Artificial Intelligence (AI) portfolio, detailed guidance has been developed and published on the responsible use of AI in policing, including through the NPCC AI Playbook and the Covenant.All Chief Constables have signed up to the Covenant, which establishes core principles for the transparent, responsible and accountable use of AI and generative technologies in UK policing. It also explicitly refers to the need for processes in place to ensure AI output is not accepted uncritically.

What assessment she has made of trends in antisocial behaviour in the West Midlands over the past five years.

Information on the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded by police forces in England and Wales, by force and by year can be found in the year ending March 2025 annual supplementary tables published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), here: Crime in England and Wales: Annual supplementary tables - Office for National Statistics

What guidance her Department has issued to policing bodies on the use of (a) artificial intelligence and (b) generative technologies in (i) gathering and (ii) analysing intelligence related to public order.

The Government recognises that public confidence in policing is fundamental to the effectiveness of the police and to the principle of policing by consent.I met the Acting Chief Constable, Scott Green, for West Midlands Police on 21 January. I was assured that appropriate steps are being taken to rebuild trust and confidence in the force and its leadership team, including with local communities.The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation, using its power of initiative, into the role of West Midlands Police in the intelligence and decision‑making that led to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.Accountability for the performance of West Midlands Police rests primarily with the directly elected West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public. The PCC has a range of statutory powers to scrutinise force performance and governance, and to ensure that public confidence is maintained.From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” published on 26 January set out the Government’s proposals to reintroduce a power for the Home Secretary to remove a Chief Constable on performance grounds and reforming the appointment, suspension and dismissal of Chief Constables.Through Home Office funding to the NPCC Artificial Intelligence (AI) portfolio, detailed guidance has been developed and published on the responsible use of AI in policing, including through the NPCC AI Playbook and the Covenant.All Chief Constables have signed up to the Covenant, which establishes core principles for the transparent, responsible and accountable use of AI and generative technologies in UK policing. It also explicitly refers to the need for processes in place to ensure AI output is not accepted uncritically.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of police officer numbers in the West Midlands Police force area and planned officer numbers for 2026/27 and 2027/28.

The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. An effective, well-supported police service is central to achieving this.Published statistics show, as at 30 September 2025, West Midlands Police had 8,027 full-time equivalent police officers.It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate and deploy the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.Chief Constables, PCCs and Mayors with PCC functions will also be able to make decisions on the shape of their overall workforce of officers and staff in response to the 2026/27 Police Funding Settlement and future funding settlements.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the apology from the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police for providing erroneous evidence used to justify the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban on the level of public confidence in policing in the West Midlands.

The Government recognises that public confidence in policing is fundamental to the effectiveness of the police and to the principle of policing by consent.I met the Acting Chief Constable, Scott Green, for West Midlands Police on 21 January. I was assured that appropriate steps are being taken to rebuild trust and confidence in the force and its leadership team, including with local communities.The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation, using its power of initiative, into the role of West Midlands Police in the intelligence and decision‑making that led to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.Accountability for the performance of West Midlands Police rests primarily with the directly elected West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public. The PCC has a range of statutory powers to scrutinise force performance and governance, and to ensure that public confidence is maintained.From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” published on 26 January set out the Government’s proposals to reintroduce a power for the Home Secretary to remove a Chief Constable on performance grounds and reforming the appointment, suspension and dismissal of Chief Constables.Through Home Office funding to the NPCC Artificial Intelligence (AI) portfolio, detailed guidance has been developed and published on the responsible use of AI in policing, including through the NPCC AI Playbook and the Covenant.All Chief Constables have signed up to the Covenant, which establishes core principles for the transparent, responsible and accountable use of AI and generative technologies in UK policing. It also explicitly refers to the need for processes in place to ensure AI output is not accepted uncritically.

What steps her Department is taking to support police forces in tackling shoplifting and retail crime.

Police recorded crime figures recorded 529,994 shoplifting offences for year ending June 2025. This represents a 13% increase from the previous year.Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges). That is why we’re committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring next year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

Whether she will review the current frameworks for the (a) removal and (b) censure of a Chief Constable when Rt hon. and hon. Members have been misled by police evidence.

The Government recognises that public confidence in policing is fundamental to the effectiveness of the police and to the principle of policing by consent.I met the Acting Chief Constable, Scott Green, for West Midlands Police on 21 January. I was assured that appropriate steps are being taken to rebuild trust and confidence in the force and its leadership team, including with local communities.The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation, using its power of initiative, into the role of West Midlands Police in the intelligence and decision‑making that led to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.Accountability for the performance of West Midlands Police rests primarily with the directly elected West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public. The PCC has a range of statutory powers to scrutinise force performance and governance, and to ensure that public confidence is maintained.From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” published on 26 January set out the Government’s proposals to reintroduce a power for the Home Secretary to remove a Chief Constable on performance grounds and reforming the appointment, suspension and dismissal of Chief Constables.Through Home Office funding to the NPCC Artificial Intelligence (AI) portfolio, detailed guidance has been developed and published on the responsible use of AI in policing, including through the NPCC AI Playbook and the Covenant.All Chief Constables have signed up to the Covenant, which establishes core principles for the transparent, responsible and accountable use of AI and generative technologies in UK policing. It also explicitly refers to the need for processes in place to ensure AI output is not accepted uncritically.

What role UK intelligence partnerships are playing in helping to identify and disrupt organised crime associated with the Venezuelan regime.

The National Crime Agency leads the UK response to SOC. NCA has a network of International Liaison Officers who work with relevant partners globally to disrupt SOC affecting the UK.The NCA also hosts other functions on behalf of the UK including its relationships into Interpol and Europol. To protect operational security the NCA does not comment on specifics of international partnerships but can confirm it has a previous history of working with Venezuelan partners to tackle SOC. All NCA activity is conducted in accordance with UK and international law.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of removals of individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK; and what assessment she has made of current capacity for enforced returns.

The government has set out plans to increase returns in the policy paper entitled “Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy”, updated on 21 November 2025. This can be viewed on gov.uk at Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy (accessible) - GOV.UKThe immigration removal estate is kept under constant review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for the men and women it is necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.

What steps her Department is taking to expand the use of stop-and-search powers in areas with persistently high levels of knife crime.

Stop and search is an important power that helps the police to get knives off our streets and save lives.Police have powers to search any individual or vehicle where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will find offensive weapons. Where serious violence has occurred or is anticipated, powers are available to authorise weapons searches with or without reasonable suspicion in a particular area for a limited time.Chief constables and their officers are best placed to make operational decisions about how these powers are deployed in response to crime trends, intelligence and local needs.In addition to supporting the use of stop and search in our efforts to reduce knife crime, we have banned zombie-style knives and ninja swords, strengthened legislation, and removed over 60,000 knives through surrender schemes and targeted operations. We are investing in prevention through the Young Futures Programme and rebuilding neighbourhood policing, with 13,000 additional police officers, Police Community Support Officers and Special Constables in neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament. This includes delivering 3,000 additional officers into neighbourhood policing roles by March 2026.In the year ending March 2025, 15,955 (3.0%) stop and searches resulted in an offensive weapon or firearm being found.Searches carried out for firearms and offensive weapons had the highest find rate at 15.7% (670) and 12.3% (9,483) respectively.The number of arrests following searches under all legislation increased by 2,705 (up 3.6% to 78,746) in the year ending March 2025.Data on stop and search for the year ending March 2025 was published on 6 November 2025: Police powers and procedures: Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent police recruitment and deployment changes on neighbourhood crime levels.

The Government published a performance framework in April 2025 which sets out how forces will be held to account. It includes measures on crime and other key indicators, including growth of neighbourhood policing.The framework outlines to forces and the public the performance measures used to assess progress. The framework can be found at this link Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee performance framework (accessible) - GOV.UK.

What steps her Department is taking to expand the use of stop-and-search powers in areas with persistently high levels of knife crime.

Stop and search is an important power that helps the police to get knives off our streets and save lives.Police have powers to search any individual or vehicle where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will find offensive weapons. Where serious violence has occurred or is anticipated, powers are available to authorise weapons searches with or without reasonable suspicion in a particular area for a limited time.Chief constables and their officers are best placed to make operational decisions about how these powers are deployed in response to crime trends, intelligence and local needs.In addition to supporting the use of stop and search in our efforts to reduce knife crime, we have banned zombie-style knives and ninja swords, strengthened legislation, and removed over 60,000 knives through surrender schemes and targeted operations. We are investing in prevention through the Young Futures Programme and rebuilding neighbourhood policing, with 13,000 additional police officers, Police Community Support Officers and Special Constables in neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament. This includes delivering 3,000 additional officers into neighbourhood policing roles by March 2026.In the year ending March 2025, 15,955 (3.0%) stop and searches resulted in an offensive weapon or firearm being found.Searches carried out for firearms and offensive weapons had the highest find rate at 15.7% (670) and 12.3% (9,483) respectively.The number of arrests following searches under all legislation increased by 2,705 (up 3.6% to 78,746) in the year ending March 2025.Data on stop and search for the year ending March 2025 was published on 6 November 2025: Police powers and procedures: Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2025

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current deterrence measures aimed at reducing illegal Channel crossings; and what further steps she plans to take to prevent small-boat arrivals.

The Government has taken significant steps to address illegal migration and its Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We are committed to tackling illegal migration and the criminal networks which facilitate it. Since July 2024, nearly 50,000 individuals without lawful status have been removed from the UK. Our agreement with France means that those arriving by small boats can be detained and returned to France.The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 has now received Royal Assent and the overarching impact assessment for this can be found here:Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill 2025: impact assessments - GOV.UKThe Government is continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of our measures in place to tackle small boats. As stated in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the Border Security Command will be publishing an annual report, which must state the Commander’s views on the performance in the financial year of the border security system. This is set out in the Act here:Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025Border security is fundamental to both our national security and economic security and evaluating our approach is a critical part of that.On 17 November, this Government published a statement entitled “Restoring Order and Control” which set out significant reforms to the UK’s asylum and illegal migration system. The statement outlined the current challenges, the Government’s objectives, and a comprehensive package of measures to restore order, control, fairness and public confidence in the system. The Government is working at pace on the legislative and policy changes required and will set out timelines for implementation in due course.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of current counter-extremism programmes; and whether she plans to introduce further measures to tackle extremist activity and protect public safety.

This Government takes extremism seriously and we are committed to ensuring we have the required tools and powers needed to address this issue.Efforts to counter extremism span a broad range of Government and law enforcement activity and we must persist in our efforts to challenge extremist narratives, disrupt the activity of radicalising groups, and directly tackle the causes of radicalisation.We are progressing activity to challenge extremist narratives including working to ensure dangerous overseas hate preachers and extremists are unable to enter the UK to spread their divisive rhetoric.The Prevent programme plays a fundamental role in protecting the public from the threat of terrorism and remains a vital tool for early intervention. Prevent is continuously improving to ensure it has the capabilities it needs to reduce terrorism risk.In December 2024, the Government created a dedicated permanent oversight function, the Independent Prevent Commissioner, to provide continuous independent scrutiny of Prevent legislation, policy and delivery to maximise Prevent’s effectiveness.The interim Independent Prevent Commissioner, Lord Anderson, published his ‘Lessons for Prevent’ in July 2025 identifying past failings and where further improvements are required.The Home Office has also commissioned an independent evaluation of Channel, Prevent’s multi-agency early intervention programme, to assess whether it is effective at reducing individuals’ susceptibility to radicalisation. The evaluation is expected to report findings in 2026.Finally, the Desistance and Disengagement Programme, which helps to manage the risk of individuals who have already been involved in terrorism or terrorism related activity, has been independently evaluated. The majority of recommendations from that evaluation have already been implemented.As set out in its manifesto, this Government is committed to redoubling efforts to counter extremism and adapting to this evolving threat, including online, to stop people being radicalised and drawn towards hateful ideologies.

With reference to the Written Statement entitled Consultation on a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies, published on 4 December 2025, HCWS1129, what assessment her Department has made of current police practice regarding the deployment of facial recognition and related technologies; how operational consistency across police forces will be ensured under the proposed new framework; and what plans she has to strengthen oversight mechanisms, including independent scrutiny, to guarantee that law enforcement agencies use these technologies only within clearly defined legal parameters and with transparent accountability.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring the use of facial recognition and similar biometric technologies by law enforcement remains proportionate to the seriousness of the harm being addressed. The consultation launched on 4 December seeks views on whether seriousness of harm should be a factor to decide how and when law enforcement organisations can acquire, retain, and use biometrics, facial recognition, and similar technology. The consultation also asks for views on what factors are relevant to consider when assessing ‘seriousness’ of harm and for which purposes should law enforcement organisations be allowed to use these technologies.We do not intend to publish an impact assessment specifically on the potential implications for civil liberties as part of the consultation process. However, alongside the consultation we have published an equalities impact assessment which makes clear the Government’s commitment to building public trust by highlighting the specific legal frameworks that will be put in place and the statutory bodies for oversight, which will apply to everyone in England and Wales.We recognise that to maintain public confidence we must ensure individual rights, privacy and data security are protected. We believe that the use of biometric and inferential technology should always be demonstrably ‘necessary’ and ‘proportionate’ to the objective being sought. Furthermore, a clear and consistent justification for interference with people’s rights is required. Threshold setting and decision making needs to be attributed to, and shared appropriately between, Parliament, Ministers, independent oversight bodies, and law enforcement organisations. The consultation seeks views on what factors are relevant to consider when assessing interference with privacy so as to ensure the legal framework reflects the views of the public.When using facial recognition technology, police forces must comply with existing legislation including the Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010, Data Protection Act 2018, Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as well as their own published policies. For live facial recognition, police forces must also follow the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Live Facial Recognition.Oversight of police practice regarding deployment of facial recognition and related technologies is currently provided by regulators and public bodies, including the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, the Information Commissioner, HMICFRS, Equality and Human Rights Commission, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The courts system also plays a vital role in ensuring the law is upheld.The Government recognises the importance of independent scrutiny to ensure operational consistency across forces under new framework. That is why the consultation explained the government’s proposal to create a single regulatory and oversight body to oversee law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies.The Government envisage giving this body the necessary powers to provide assurance that law enforcement use of biometric technologies is legal, responsible, and necessary. These powers could include setting standards to assure scientific validity, issuing codes of practice and investigating instances where a technology has been misused, hacked or accessed without authorisation.