Arson investigation launched after fire at former school in Hythe
Kent Police said it is treating the incident as suspicious and an arson investigation is ongoing. The force added the building is now structurally unsafe within the gated private grounds.
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Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
'We will send you packing': Govt vows to deport foreign criminals immediately after sentencing
Foreign criminals will be deported from the UK immediately after they are sentenced, the justice secretary has said. The law change proposed by Shabana Mahmood could save taxpayers an average of £54,000 a year per prison place. The changes would apply to prisoners serving fixed-term "determinate" sentences. 12:16 Authorities would also retain their power not to deport a criminal but instead keep them in custody - with examples including if an offender is planning further crimes against the UK's interests or national security. The justice secretary's announcement goes further than a change to the law in June - expected to come into force in September - meaning prisoners face deportation 30% into their sentence rather than the current 50%. The government will need parliament to greenlight its proposal to bring this down to 0%. Foreign national offenders make up around 12% of the prison population. 0:51 Ms Mahmood said: "Our message is clear - if you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing." She added: "Deportations are up under this government, and with this new law they will happen earlier than ever before." Almost 5,200 foreign national offenders have been deported since July 2024, a 14% increase on the 12 months prior, according to the government. According to a Labour source, the previous Conservative government relied on prison transfer agreements with other countries to deport foreign national offenders, in deals which allow inmates to serve their custodial sentence in their "home" country. This saw 945 prisoners sent to jails abroad between 2010 and 2023, equal to fewer than two criminals per week. 11:15 Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: "In Starmer's topsy-turvy world, investors are fleeing the country in their droves while record numbers of violent and sexual offenders from abroad are put up in our prisons. It's a farce. "Yet again Starmer has refused to confront our broken human rights laws. "He needs to grow a backbone and change them so we can actually deport these individuals. "The safety of the British public is infinitely more important than the 'rights' of sick foreign criminals. "If countries won't take back their nationals, Starmer should suspend visas and foreign aid. His soft-touch approach isn't working."
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Electronic tags and 'tougher' unpaid work will reduce prison overcrowding, govt claims
Increases in the use of electronic tagging and "toughening up" unpaid work will help reduce prison overcrowding, according to the Ministry of Justice. The independent review of the current sentencing framework published in February called for an increased focus on utilising punishment outside of prison to reduce reoffending, freeing up capacity in jails. In response, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she's determined to toughen community punishment - and make sure unpaid work truly pays back communities harmed by crime. The work done by offenders at the Nene Valley Railway near Peterborough is certainly tough. A group of low to medium-risk offenders have been sent to help re-lay track for the charity that runs the heritage railway, famous for being home to the engine that inspired Rev W Awdry's Thomas The Tank Engine. "We've been working with the probation service for over 20 years," says Michael Purcell, chair of the Nene Valley Railway. "Most of the work here is done by volunteers, and many of them are quite old. "So to have a team of younger workers that can come here and do the physical work under an experienced supervisor as a community service is massively helpful to us." Visually, there are echoes of the prison chain gangs of old. But the hard labour involved in this unpaid work is very much a part of contemporary plans to reduce reoffending. The Ministry of Justice says its analysis indicates that community-based sentences are more effective at reducing reoffending than custodial sentences lasting under a year. Supervising the work on the railway is Michael Barry, who believes the hard work gives the offenders on the programme a feeling of achievement. "You do notice that the men and women who come to work here don't tend to come back," Mr Berry explains. "I've been supervising groups here for 20 years, and many of the offenders who have worked here seem to have gone back to working. "So I do believe it helps people return to work after offending." The MoJ says being tough on crime means always having the prison capacity to incarcerate the most dangerous offenders. And it says that as well as "toughening up" unpaid work, probation funding will be increased by up to £700m (nearly 45%), allowing it to "substantially boost" the number of offenders on electronic monitoring. The MoJ has also said an increase in the use of curfews and exclusion zones, where offenders are prohibited from visiting certain areas, will help reduce prison overcrowding. A spokesperson added: "Offenders should be made to give back to the communities they've harmed. That is why we are toughening up unpaid work as a punishment so it can continue to act as a deterrent and make our streets safer.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Horror shooting outside Westfield Carousel Shopping Centre as two motorbike riders disappear into bushland
A shop outside a Westfield was targeted in a shooting with cops launching an investigation. Smoke Station on Cecil Avenue at Cannington, south Perth, was hit at 1.30am on Saturday. The shop is just metres from Westfield Carousel Shopping Centre. Western Australia Police said two rounds of ammunition were fired at the premises. A metal roller shutter and a glass window were damaged. Two off-road motorcycles were seen in the area at the time and crossing the Albany Highway before disappearing into bushland. Detectives have urged anyone with information to come forward.
