Issue 445  11th April 2026

Victims and bereaved families will have longer than ever to challenge sentences they don’t feel fit the crime they’ve suffered as the Government reforms the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme (9 April 2026)...

The two measures on the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme will be tabled as amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament in the usual way...

Other members of the public will still have 28 days to refer a case under the scheme. A statutory duty to notify victims of the existence of the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme will mean victims and bereaved families can easily find clear information about the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme and their rights in the Victims’ Code. The time limit for requesting the Law Officers to review a case will be extended for victims and bereaved family members from 28 days to up to six months to challenge sentences where it is in the interests of justice to do so. The AGO will publish operational guidance setting out guidelines for what “in the interests of justice” means...

The public will be better protected from vile online pornography under new Government amendments tabled to the Crime and Policing Bill today (Friday, April 10). Building on the Government’s work to tackle violence against women and girls, pornography depicting illegal sexual conduct between family members and adults roleplaying as children will be criminalised.

The first of these vital measures will ban anyone from possessing or publishing harmful pornography that shows incest between family members, and sex between step or foster relations where one person is pretending to be under 18. A further amendment will criminalise the publication and possession of pornography where an adult is roleplaying as a child...

Up to 250 schools in knife crime hotspots will receive specialist training in a bid to divert children from serious violence, the government has announced. It said a £1.2m investment will help fund the measures, which could include mentoring for high-risk students and chaperones on school routes. It comes as the government is expected to set out more details of how it plans to meet its ambition to halve knife crime within a decade...

Knife crime continued a downward trend in 2025, with offences down by 9% on the year prior and pre-Covid levels, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics, external in January. While urban areas have long seen more instances of knife crime, some research, external suggests it has become more widespread over time. The Safety In and Around Schools Partnership will train school leaders on the risk of knife crime and develop "local solutions to improve pupil safety and prevent serious violence". More intensive and tailored support will be provided to around 50 of the 250 schools, the government said...

Over 3,000 additional police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) have been put into neighbourhood roles in less than a year, as new figures reveal the government has hit this target 2 months ahead of schedule. While murders and serious violent crimes are at their lowest level for more than a decade, communities have continued to be blighted by shop theft, mobile phone theft and drug offences...

Figures released today show that 3,123 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs have been hired or redeployed since April last year and are now focused on fighting local crimes in communities. Last year the government pledged to have 3,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of March 2026, meeting the target in January. The increase in neighbourhood officers is already delivering results. The Home Office’s Winter of Action scheme across December and January saw almost 18,000 arrests across more than 600 towns and cities as police presence and patrols were ramped up...

The Bar Standards Board is to bring forward publication of disciplinary charges faced by barristers - but, following objections from practitioners, not until after a case management hearing. Currently, the regulator does not name defendants until a date has been set for a substantive hearing and a convening order signed off – generally less than 14 days before the hearing takes place. The BSB initially proposed either to publish details about cases when proceedings were underway, or to publish them after the initial case management hearing. Both options would have resulted in earlier publication than is currently made. Following expressions of concern about the potential added stress for barristers, the regulator decided that publication should wait until after the case management hearing. The BSB said this would enhance openness and transparency but also give the parties extra time to address and resolve any preliminary issues...