Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

On the 17th January, the House of Lords completed its legislative review of the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. As part of this, the Lords made a number of amendments to the Bill as Peers were unhappy with a number of last-minute measures that the Government were seeking to introduce into the legislation.

Darren has opposed the Bill since it was introduced in the House of Commons as the Government has not made a coherent case for the introduction of the measures outlined in the Bill. Darren, and Opposition parties, have highlighted that the Bill does not seek to reduce crime and violence but instead clamps down on the right to protest against the government of the day.

Darren will consider the amendments that have been made but it is unlikely that the Government will accept them in the Commons. This means that the Bill will return to the Lords again for consideration.

You can view Darren’s response provided to constituents as follows:

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about the Government’s Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill. I am opposed to this Bill and I have voted against it at every opportunity in the House of Commons.

I believe the measures in the Bill relating to protests and public order are ill-judged, ill-thought-out and nothing short of a curtailment of the right to protest; their passage into law would be a profound mistake. During consideration of the Bill in the House of Commons on 5th July 2021, I voted for an amendment that would have removed the measures relating to protests. Unfortunately, the Government successfully blocked the amendment by 354 to 273 votes.

We already have the Public Order Act 1986, along with other existing powers, to police protests. I think these strike a careful balance between the legitimate right to peacefully protests and the need to keep order.

I believe the Government’s proposals would have long-lasting consequences. The right to protest is extremely precious and one of our proudest democratic traditions. It is only right that our laws do not, and should never, seek to shield those in power from public criticism and public protest.

I am also opposed to measures in the Bill that would create a new criminal offence of “residing on land without consent in or with a vehicle”. Under the proposals, families living on unauthorised encampments could be imprisoned for up to three months, be fined up to £2,500, or both.

It is clear that those measures are targeted at Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. I believe this discrimination could potentially breach the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. The police have also clearly said they do not require these new measures. The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners have said that “no new criminal trespass offence is required” and that the co-ordinated use of existing powers allows for a proportionate response.

This is why I also voted for an amendment on 5th July 2021 that would have removed this proposed new offence. Unfortunately, the Government also blocked this amendment by 358 to 265 votes.

As you know, the Bill will also introduce Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs), which would allow police officers to stop and search people with an SVRO without reasonable grounds and without authorisation. In my view, it is very hard to be persuaded that more sweeping powers to stop and search people with previous convictions will reduce serious violence. I am concerned that there is little evidence that this will be effective.

The Government tabled last-minute amendments to the Bill in the House of Lords that were so broad they would even allow people walking past a peaceful protest to be stopped and searched. I am pleased that Opposition peers were successful in removing these last-minute amendments from the Bill in January and it was striking how few Government peers turned up to defend them.

It is disappointing that the Government has undermined many of the good measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill by coupling them up with divisive and draconian measures such as those relating to protests. I believe tackling crime and violence against women should be the focus of this Bill and I will continue to make the case for this when the Bill returns to the Commons for consideration of amendments.

Please do let me know if I can be of any further support moving forward.

Yours sincerely,

Darren

Darren Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol North West