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Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

The bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 July 2021. At the time of writing no date has been scheduled for second reading. The bill is formed of 13 parts and includes provisions that would:

• introduce several measures relating to the protection of the police;
• legislate for the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime;
• make changes to the way protests are policed in England and Wales;
• create new offences and amend existing powers in relation to unauthorised encampments;
• introduce a number of road traffic measures;
• replace the existing out of court disposal framework;
• amend custodial sentences and community sentences;
• make changes to the youth justice system;
• legislate for secure schools and secure children’s homes;
• introduce measures for the management and rehabilitation of offenders; and
• update procedures in courts and tribunals.

The bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons. During debates, Labour said that although it welcomed parts of the bill, it would not support it because of the bill’s public protest provisions. It also called for the Government to take further action on issues including violence against women and girls. It tabled a number of amendments; however, all were unsuccessful.

Government amendments were added to the bill at both committee and report stage. The majority were minor and technical in nature, while others concerned extending the types of individuals covered by the Police Covenant. They also included the British Transport Police in some of the provisions in parts 1 and 10 of the bill.