Latest news with #CrimeBill
Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Porn websites face crackdown on violent and misogynistic content
Social media companies that host online pornography would have to vet content uploaded to their sites under proposed changes to the government's flagship crime and policing bill. Almost 50 Labour MPs are backing plans to make the platforms subject to the same regulation as DVDs and video tapes. Companies that ignored the new rules would be fined £18 million or 10 per cent of their global turnover. They could lose their access to credit card payment systems and advertising. Ministers are understood to be sympathetic to the change, a key recommendation of a government-commissioned report into online pornography published earlier this year. The plans are due to be discussed later this week as amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which is going through
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Thugs who climb on Winston Churchill's iconic London statue face JAIL under tough new laws
THUGS who climb on Winston Churchill's statue will face up to three months in jail under new laws. Despite not being officially classified as a war memorial, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will give special status to the Westminster monument of our greatest ever PM. 4 4 4 The bronze statue has been targeted by protesters in recent years, many of whom have escaped arrest after claiming to have merely clambered on the statue rather than damage it. Sir Keir Starmer told The Sun: 'Sir Winston Churchill stands at the summit of our country's greatest heroes, and has been an inspiration to every Prime Minister that has followed him. 'The justifiable fury that is provoked when people use his statue as a platform for their protests speaks to the deep and enduring love that all decent British people have for Sir Winston. 'It is the least we owe him, and the rest of the greatest generation, to make those acts criminal." A punishment of up to three months in prison and a £1,000 fine will be included in the government's Crime and Policing Bill. The legislation already includes a list of war memorials such as the Cenotaph where hijacking them for protests is illegal. Just last April trans rights campaigners climbed the Churchill statue and waved placards following the Supreme Court decision on the legal definition of a woman. Currently only demonstrators who cause criminal damage to the monument can be prosecuted. The 12-foot likeness was unveiled in Parliament Square in November 1973 by his widow Clementine. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: ' As the country comes together to celebrate VE Day, it is only right that we ensure Winston Churchill's statue is treated with the respect and reverence it deserves, along with the other sacred war memorials around our country.' 4
Express Tribune
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
TTrump's new executive policing order sparks debate over effectiveness
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2025. PHOTO:REUTERS Listen to article President Donald Trump's newly signed executive order on policing has sparked mixed reactions across the law enforcement community and from experts. The order promises expanded legal protection for officers, additional training, and more access to military-grade equipment, among other measures, but its practical implications remain unclear. The key provision of the order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to provide free private legal services to police officers facing civil rights lawsuits. Critics question the necessity of this move, pointing out that police officers are already covered by union-provided legal services. Criminology experts, including Thomas Nolan from Boston University, argue that the order may be a symbolic gesture to address law enforcement concerns without bringing substantial change. Additionally, the order calls for increased training and higher pay for officers, but experts note that salary changes typically come through collective bargaining rather than federal intervention. The order also pushes for tougher penalties for crimes against officers, a move supported by police unions but criticized by those who argue that existing state laws already address this issue. Trump's proposal also includes increased investment in prison security and the capacity of US correctional facilities. However, critics highlight that similar initiatives were already part of previous administrations, such as the 1994 Crime Bill. The effectiveness of Trump's order remains uncertain, with experts divided on whether it will result in meaningful reform or if it is merely a political gesture aimed at securing the support of law enforcement groups. The order is part of Trump's broader effort to strengthen law enforcement and demonstrate support for police unions, who were key backers during his 2024 campaign.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Laken Riley Act will cost Marylanders $498 million, remove $457 million from tax revenue
Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest fugitives as part of Operation Cross Check in Dallas, Texas in 2019. (Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement) The Moore-Miller Administration has announced its budget proposal for fiscal year 2025, which includes $5 million in additional funds to local law enforcement, totaling $127 million. With the $457 million allocated to Maryland State Police, the total law enforcement expenditure from Annapolis is $584 million. While the increase in police funding is welcome, it is not nearly enough to comply with the newly passed Laken Riley Act. Under this new federal law, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now required to detain any undocumented person who has been charged, arrested, convicted or admitted to committing acts constituting burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or bodily harm. The most immediate effect of this legislation will be a surge in the number of individuals held in pretrial detention. Maryland is no stranger to this: Under the 1994 Crime Bill, the number of individuals held in pretrial detention skyrocketed across the state, especially in Baltimore. Holding individuals in local jails indefinitely without due process is a costly procedure that spreads thin law enforcement officers when efforts could be instead used on targeting felons. The federal government contracts local jails to hold ICE detainees under the 287(g) program, which in Maryland only includes Harford, Cecil and Frederick counties. The remaining counties will be responsible for financing the expected surge in arrests under Laken Riley. Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@ We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates. Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines. Views of writers are their own. While this figure has gone down in recent years, the Laken Riley Act overrides the right to due process for all offenses, resulting in the number of individuals held in pretrial detention rising. While ostensibly aimed to increase public safety, previously enacted legislation on policing that targeted misdemeanor offenders in order to reduce violent crimes has been largely ineffective. The New York City Broken Windows policy is one such project. Through enforcing this policy, NYC police officers frisked 2.3 million people but found weapons in just 1.5% of stops. This misuse of police funds will not only continue under the Laken Riley Act, but be exacerbated by the further removal of hundreds of thousands of undocumented people living in Maryland. The Laken Riley Act will sharply reverse the downward trend of pretrial detention in Maryland's urban and suburban counties. Furthermore, local and state law enforcement will be compelled to divert manpower toward the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants merely accused of a misdemeanor offense. While not excusing illegal immigration or diminishing the the tragic case of Laken Riley, data from the Cato Institute demonstrates that undocumented immigrants are far less likely to commit homicide than American citizens. Furthermore, under the recently reinstated 'Remain in Mexico' policy, the amount of Department of Homeland Security encounters with convicted felons who had been deported back to Mexico skyrocketed, as DHS resources were diverted toward otherwise innocent immigrants seeking asylum. This precedent demonstrates that an austere crackdown on illegal immigration does not accomplish its stated goal. The Laken Riley Act includes zero funding provisions, leaving it to the states to pick up the slack. The increase in police spending from Annapolis in 2025 will not be enough to bridge the gap; implementation of the law is estimated to cost $83 billion over three years, which if applied to each state proportional to population, will cost Marylanders an additional $498 million, more than the entire law enforcement expenditure, with the whole efforts of local and state police now directed toward an immigration crackdown. The Department of Justice has ordered the prosecution of local and state law enforcement deemed to be an impediment to the execution of the Laken Riley Act, leaving Maryland's police little choice but to follow through with this immense commitment of resources. Nobody wants to have someone they love become the next Laken Riley. Unfortunately, the law named for her does not lower the likelihood of such tragedies; rather, it makes them more likely, all at an immense cost to the taxpayer that Marylanders cannot afford. Furthermore, the consequence of removing every undocumented immigrant from the state would be the loss of $476.3 million in state and local taxes. This is a further fiscal hazard not only to implementation of immigration law, but also to promoting the level of shared prosperity that gives Maryland the third-best public school system in the nation. This crackdown will expensively disrupt communities and quality of life across the state, with no evidence that it will make Marylanders and other Americans any safer.
