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Crime Solicitors

London Mayor to put female offending at heart of policing strategy (6 February 2017)

Date: 06/02/2017
Duncan Lewis, Crime Solicitors, London Mayor to put female offending at heart of policing strategy

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced that he is to put tackling female offending at the heart of his policing strategy and will invest £500,000 in improved services to support women at risk of re-offending.

Figures show around 30,000 women are arrested each year in London, comprising one-third of all offenders sentenced at court. Of these, more than one-fifth go on to re-offend.

The London Assembly says that support for female offenders in the capital has been historically under-funded and the need for more services has become increasingly acute as a result of the closure of HMP Holloway in summer 2016.

The new Female Offender Service, funded by the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) and the London Community Rehabilitation Company (London CRC) will expand and improve current services and bring different agencies together to tackle women’s re-offending across the capital.

Tackling female offenders is a key strand of the Mayor’s draft Police and Crime Plan, which is currently out for consultation whilst MOPAC is in ongoing discussions with central government on how to improve services.

The Plan aims to protect the capital’s most vulnerable and also focuses on developing support for victims, tackling violence against women and girls and improving standards across the criminal justice system.

The programme builds on the work of the Minerva project, part of women’s charity Advance, which works with women who are either leaving custody or serving their sentence in the community.

The new service will reach 950 female offenders across London and MOPAC’s funding will enhance support services in ten London boroughs, including specialist care in the areas of domestic and sexual abuse, trauma counselling, employment support, parenting and housing.

Deputy Mayor for Policing And Crime, Sophie Linden, and Justice Minister Dr Philip Lee, visited the Minerva project, meeting key workers and service users, she commented:

“We know that most women serving prison sentences have committed a non-violent offence and by providing support across a range of areas, we can help them deal with the root causes of their problems, drive down re-offending, cut crime and make our communities safer.

The Minerva project supports women as they navigate the criminal justice system and when they leave it – and by expanding this service, we are one step closer to the pan-London approach to female offending that our capital needs.”


Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee added:

“I welcome this investment in support for female offenders in London and look forward to working with the Mayor’s Office to help women turn away from crime.

Many women who are at risk of offending or re-offending have a range of complex circumstances – whether that’s turning to drugs or alcohol as a crutch, facing serious mental or physical health problems, or struggling to find a home or a job.

Projects such as this play an important role in giving female offenders the help and support they need to reform and live law-abiding lives.

We are developing a strategy for the way we manage female offenders and are providing £1 million seed funding over the course of this Parliament to assist local areas to develop multi-agency, holistic approaches to those at risk of offending.”


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