Overview

The Policing and Crime Act 2009 is a wide-ranging piece of UK legislation covering various aspects of policing, sexual offences, alcohol misuse, proceeds of crime, extradition, aviation security, and criminal records. It introduced new offences, amended existing laws, and created new processes and bodies to improve efficiency and effectiveness in these areas.

Description

The Act's key aspects include:

• Police Reform: Established a Police Senior Appointments Panel to advise on senior officer appointments and police collaboration agreements to improve efficiency and effectiveness between forces.
• Sexual Offences and Sex Establishments: Created new offences related to paying for sexual services obtained through exploitation, strengthened laws on soliciting, and introduced closure orders for premises used for sexual offences or pornography involving children.
• Alcohol Misuse: Lowered the threshold for offences related to selling alcohol to children and introduced a new offence for persistent alcohol possession by minors in public places.
• Injunctions: Gang-Related Violence: Provided for the granting of injunctions to prevent gang-related violence.
• Proceeds of Crime: Expanded powers for seizing and detaining assets involved in criminal activity, streamlined processes, and clarified procedures related to confiscation and forfeiture.
• Extradition: Amended extradition procedures to include provisions for deferring extradition based on pending UK charges or sentences.
• Aviation Security: Introduced new regulations for security planning at airports, establishing risk advisory and security executive groups.
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups and Criminal Records: Renamed the Independent Barring Board to the Independent Safeguarding Authority and made changes to criminal record checks and information sharing.
• Border Controls: Expanded information-gathering powers relating to people entering or leaving the UK and strengthened the prohibition on the importation and exportation of false identity documents and offensive weapons.

Government Spending

The Act's impact on government spending is not specified in the provided text. The creation of the Police Senior Appointments Panel and Independent Safeguarding Authority, however, would likely require additional funding for staffing, administration, and operational expenses. The increased powers for law enforcement might lead to increased expenditure on investigations and prosecutions.

Groups Affected

• Police forces: New responsibilities for collaboration and reporting.
• Senior police officers: New appointment processes and regulations.
• Prostitutes and clients: New offences related to exploitation and soliciting.
• Sex offenders: Changes to foreign travel orders and time limits for complaints.
• Owners and operators of sex establishments: New regulations and potential closure orders.
• Minors: New offences relating to alcohol possession and consumption.
• Gang members: Subject to injunctions to prevent violence.
• Individuals involved in criminal activity: Increased risk of asset seizure and forfeiture.
• Individuals subject to extradition: Amended procedures related to pending charges and sentences.
• Airports and airlines: New responsibilities for security planning and reporting.
• Employers: New requirements for criminal record checks and immigration information.
• Individuals seeking employment: Expanded criminal record disclosure requirements.

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