Crime
Councils to receive cyber probe
One in 10 councils will be offered ‘penetration testing’ of their cyber security arrangements to ‘identify and potentially remediate’ vulnerabilities.
EXCLUSIVE: Police refuse to reveal sector probe costs
Police have refused to publish the costs of an investigation into four sector figures who remain on bail three years after they were arrested.
Government warns queues could be new terror target
Queue-filled high streets could be a new target for marauding terrorists using a vehicle as a weapon, the Government has warned.
EXCLUSIVE: Spooks in cyber threat warning
Chief executives have been warned of an increased cyber threat to councils as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Redesigning collaboration along County Lines
Ian Blackhurst explains why local authorities, the police and partner agencies need to share information dynamically and in real time to tackle county lines.
Councils face barriers as they try to tackle fraud
Local authorities are still encountering barriers to tackling fraud effectively, a new document has highlighted.
LGA chief in ransomware warning
The impact of a successful ransomware attack amid the coronavirus crisis could be catastrophic, Local Government Association (LGA) chief executive, Mark Lloyd has warned.
Fit for the future
Surrey County Council and PwC outline the ‘very clear and powerful’ shared ambition driving their joint approach to transformation – focused on creating an inclusive and healthy place where people are proud to live.
Council leaders call for domestic abuse funding boost
Local authority leaders have welcomed the re-introduction of a Bill aimed to protect victims of domestic abuse, but called on the Government to fund services designed to prevent violence in the home.
Community tensions rise amid Coronavirus outbreak
Reports of increasing community tensions ‘across multiple areas’ have been picked up by the Government as the international Coronavirus crisis continues to worsen.
‘There can be and will be no complacency’
Joanne Roney says that while addressing past failures is ‘very necessary’, we must not lose sight of ‘how radically our approach to tackling child sexual exploitation has been strengthened’ since Operation Augusta.
Councils urged to improve information sharing
Local authorities have been urged to improve information sharing following two serious case reviews (SCRs) into horrific child deaths.
'Ambitious programme of domestic reform' promised in Queen's Speech
The second Queen’s Speech in almost as many months has promised an ‘ambitious programme of domestic reform’.
'Safe places' needed in Greater Manchester to divert youth from violent crime
Communities in Greater Manchester feel there is an urgent need to create safe places and strong relationships to divert young people from violent crime, new research has found.
‘Ten years or life’
New research aims to understand the drivers of recent hikes in violent crime involving young people in Greater Manchester as perpetrators and victims – and has come up with insights and recommendations. Ann McGauran reports.
Places can and do get worse as well as better
Dr Jonathan Carr-West says the story of a city in Columbia can be seen as a warning of what can happen if local government does not have an active leadership role and the resources to act upon it.
Domestic abuse crime figures surge
The number of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police has surged by 24% in the year ending March 2019, new figures show.
Teenager stabbed to death at council offices
A murder investigation has been launched after a teenager was stabbed to death at a London council’s office.
Boosting Britain needs more than a fistful of Bills
Following the Queen's Speech, Heather Jameson says that personally her glass is at least half-full. But as the Prime Minister prepares to boost Britain after we leave the EU, Government policy is looking somewhat paradoxical.
Getting to grips with youth violence
Stuart Gallimore says the Government’s response to serious youth violence and knife crime addresses the symptoms, not the root causes.
