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ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Critics say new UK police guidelines concerning stillbirths and abortions are fuelling a 'culture of hostility'
Guidelines issued by a leading UK police body have paved the way for investigators to inspect women's period tracking apps and search their homes following a stillbirth. The divisive advice says police can do so if they believe the pregnancy loss was the result of an abortion outside of legally permitted circumstances. It comes amid a ramped-up number of criminal cases and a fresh push to decriminalise abortion across the UK, where access remains restricted and subject to approval from multiple doctors. So what do we know, and how does Australia compare? The new guidelines are set up by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) — a national coordination body for law enforcement in the UK. Quietly published earlier this year, the Practice Advice on Child Death Investigation lays out a framework for police investigating stillbirths reported to be the result of a terminated pregnancy. Noting the rarity of such a circumstance, it says police can take a number of investigative measures if concerns have been raised by healthcare professionals, family or friends. These include the "seizure and examination" of phone information and searching homes for evidence of abortion medication. "Internet search history, digital communications with third parties, and health apps such as menstrual cycle and fertility trackers may all provide information to help investigators establish a woman's knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy," the guidelines outline. It also says police should search for empty medication blister packs. "The overriding priority in such circumstances is always the need for medical attention for the woman, and where born alive, the baby," it adds. When asked for further clarification, a spokesperson for NPCC told the ABC police didn't routinely investigate unexpected pregnancy loss, with investigations being at the discretion of a senior investigating officer. "An investigation is only initiated where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity, and this would often be because of concerns raised from medical professionals," they said. "Each case would have a set of unique factors to be assessed and investigated depending on its individual circumstances. "We recognise how traumatic the experience of losing a child is, with many complexities involved, and any investigation of this nature and individuals will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion. "It is important to stress that due to the individuality of each case, there is no standardised policy to investigate illegal abortions and that police will always work closely with health partners to prioritise the welfare of everyone involved." The body also urged police to fully understand the women's backgrounds and whether investigations are proportionate, the ABC understands. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and other healthcare providers quickly condemned the police guidelines, saying they're "not in the public best interest". "The new National Police Chiefs' Council guidance is truly shocking to read," RCOG president Ranee Thakar said. "Women in these circumstances have a right to compassionate care and to have their dignity and privacy respected, not to have their homes, phones, computers and health apps searched, or be arrested and interrogated." Louise McCudden, who is the UK Head of External Affairs for abortion provider MSI, said the problem lay with the state of the region's abortion laws. "When you have unjust, Victorian [era] laws that govern women's bodies, it's no surprise that this leads to unjust regressive policing that overrides women's bodily autonomy." Rhiannon White, the CEO of Clue, a popular cycle tracking app, told the ABC it has "never, and will never, disclose private health data to any authority". The Berlin-based company added it would "aggressively challenge any such requests" by police. "We have spoken loudly on this subject, particularly in the US since Roe Vs Wade was overturned in 2022," it told the ABC. "This same position applies to every region around the world. "As a business, we have built our foundations on protecting women's rights to data privacy, body autonomy and health equity." Sue Kahn, CEO of Flo, a fellow tracking app, said the organisation was yet to receive such requests. In a LinkedIn statement, she said it set a "dangerous precedent for weaponizing technology built to serve women's needs". "Women deserve to be able to use technology to learn more about their bodies and their personal health, without fearing their data will be unjustly used or taken in a way they have not agreed upon," she wrote. The ABC has also contacted Apple, whose Health app is another major cycle tracker. In England and Wales, abortion remains a criminal offence under strict exemption. In the first 24 weeks, abortion is legal with the approval of two doctors. They must agree having the baby would pose a greater risk to the physical or mental health of the woman than a termination. Abortion after 24 weeks is reserved for cases where the birth would result in death or permanent injury for the woman or significant disability for the child. Outside of that, deliberately ending a pregnancy in England and Wales remains a criminal offence under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. The maximum punishment is life in prison. The Offences Act never extended to Scotland, and several sections were repealed in Northern Ireland after a push to modernise the legislation. From being largely obstructed, Northern Ireland made abortion unconditionally legal up to 12 weeks in 2019. After that point, laws remain similar to the rest of the UK. Recently, several Labour MPs have reignited a debate to decriminalise abortion. They've put forward amendments to change the law with a vote expected this summer. The move is backed by medical associations, including RCOG. It says six women have appeared in court over the past two years charged with ending their pregnancy. Before this, only three convictions were reported since the 1861 legislation was introduced. The ABC understands the NPCC guidance was made in part to avoid the unnecessary criminalisation in light of an increase in reports. In May, Nicola Packer, 45, was acquitted after unintentionally taking abortion medicine when she was 26 weeks pregnant. Ms Packer told the jury she had misjudged how long she had been pregnant and was prescribed the medication over the phone during the COVID-19 lockdown. In comparison, abortion is legal in every Australian state and territory. Broadly speaking, medical terminations can be prescribed up to nine weeks of pregnancy, through administering the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol, also known as MS-2 Step. Surgical terminations are generally available further into the pregnancy. Exact cut-offs vary from state to state, with the ACT offering abortions at any pregnancy gestation. In the UK, whether police can legitimately acquire phones varies, with a range of statutory and common law powers allowing police to seize or take possession of devices if they reasonably believe they could be evidence, according to the Information Commissioner's Office. Whereas to access phone information in Australia, police must obtain a warrant — unless there's immediate danger such as threats to public safety. Police can also ask for consent, and if granted, can examine a phone without a warrant. Meanwhile, in the US, abortion has been outright banned in 12 states.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Chief officers call for radical overhaul of structure of UK policing
Police chiefs in England and Wales want a radical overhaul of the structure of UK policing with fewer, larger forces, amid financial shortages and difficulties dealing with fraud and updating technology. The current structure of 43 geographical forces was established in the 1960s and there have long been concerns that the model is not fit for purpose. As the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) published the police data strategy for 2025 to 2030 on Thursday, force bosses called for a redesign of the structure of policing in England and Wales. NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens said: 'We need police forces that are strong and capable to be able to use technology…that are able to respond to a range of threats that might emerge in their local area and be resilient to those. 'At the moment, the system is not resilient, so I would absolutely argue for bigger, capable forces led by a stronger national centre.' He said that the way UK policing is currently set up is 'too fragmented and sometimes uncoordinated'. 'There are many things that, particularly in the digital world, where if we do it once well for everybody, we can get the sort of scale that we need. 'I think it's completely unacceptable that if you're a victim of crime in one area compared to another, that you might have a stand a better chance of having your perpetrator bought to justice because that particular force is deploying some technology in comparison with another force that hasn't. 'We need a system where digital advancements, that do move rapidly, we can evolve and get those implemented at scale.' The chief constable's comments came after a report by think tank the Police Foundation earlier this month found that fraud victims are being let down because of the outdated 1960s structure. It said that UK policing is trying to battle '21st century cyber-enabled cross-border crime' in a localised system that is decades old, with fraud now accounting for 40% of crime in Britain. Research by report sponsor Virgin Media O2 also found that three forces in England and Wales had no officers dedicated to investigating fraud. The digital strategy, published on Thursday, says it is estimated that forces will spend around £2 billion on IT in 2025/26, £590 million of which will go on maintaining systems that could instead be modernised. Chief Constable Rob Carden, who is the NPCC lead for digital, data and technology, also highlighted issues with recruiting specialist staff who otherwise go to the private sector. He said the Government's safer streets plan to reduce crime and boost public confidence will not be possible without more investment in technology. 'It's certainly my personal contention that the safer streets mission is simply not achievable without digital data and technology,' he said. His comments came after one of Britain's most senior police officers Sir Mark Rowley joined with five other chief officers, including Mr Stephens, to call on the Government for 'serious investment' in the next spending review in June. In a letter to the Times, they along with the chief constables of Merseyside, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire Police said: 'A lack of investment will bake in the structural inefficiencies for another three years and will lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the service.' The digital strategy estimates that 15 million hours of police time could be saved if the Government gives forces £220 million for spending on technology over the next three years. The NPCC said that projects that have already been piloted have saved 347,656 workforce hours and £8.2 million per year, and could save 15 million hours and £370 million per year if rolled out nationally. Mr Stephens said: 'Without investment, we will fall behind rather than become more productive. 'We will not be able to restore neighbourhood policing. 'Halving violence against women and girls and knife crime will become much harder to reach targets.' The projects that are currently being piloted include: – live facial recognition – currently used by the Met, Essex and South Wales Police. It is hoped this could be made available for use by individual officers in the future. – a system in Kent where domestic abuse victims are connected with an officer via video call, reducing the average response time from 32 hours to three minutes. – finish setting up the national digital forensics platform to make analysis of devices quicker – using AI to triage 101 calls, as currently being trialled by West Midlands Police – expanding use of robotic process automation for administrative tasks – national rollout of video and text redaction tools including new deepfake detection technology. The system to automatically redact text is estimated to save around one million hours of staff time per year. – increased use of drones.
ITV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Police chiefs warn Labour's anti-crime promises will not happen without extra cash
Police chiefs are warning the government will not hit its anti-crime targets without "substantial investment" in policing in next month's spending review. In a letter published in The Times, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, NPCC chairman Constable Gavin Stephens, and the chiefs of Merseyside, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire police , warned of a return to the "retrenchment we saw under austerity" without increased funding for police forces. Sir Keir Starmer has promised to halve both knife crime and violence against women and girls, and to recruit 13,000 more police officers. But the senior police officers said that will not happen without extra cash, calling this moment a "once in a generation opportunity to reform the service". The letter warned of "increasing public demand, growing social volatility - such as last summer's disorder — and new serious and organised crime threats emboldened by the online world", along with increased "global insecurity". The move is a bid to secure more funding for the Home Office in the Chancellor's spending review in June, which will set budgets for government departments until 2029. The Times reports the Home Office will have to make cuts, after what the police chiefs call a "decade of underinvestment in policing". The senior police officers say that after global instability led to an increase in defence spending, the same reasoning should also be applied to policing to tackle '"the linked threats and growing demands". They also warn that the government's sentencing reforms announced last week, which will see more criminals serve community sentences, are likely to increase pressure on policing. That contradicts the view of former justice secretary and author of the sentencing review David Gauke, along with other prison reform experts, who say community sentences are proven to cut reoffending. Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has also agreed to allow some criminals, including violent and sexual offenders, to be released early for good behaviour. In a separate plea, other senior crime bodies have also called on the government for more funding amid pressures from the plans to release prisoners early. The heads of the Metropolitan Police, MI5 and the National Crime Agency were among those who warned that plans to release prisoners early could be 'of net detriment to public safety' in a letter to the Ministry of Justice. They also argued they would need the 'necessary resources' in the upcoming spending review to deal with the plan's impacts and maintain order, The Times reported. 'We have to ensure that out of court does not mean out of justice, and that out of prison does not mean out of control,' they said in a letter sent before the formal announcement. Conservative shadow minister, Helen Whately, said Labour 'needs to sort this out' and 'take responsibility' for ensuring there were enough prison places, adding: 'They are the guys who are in government now.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe with up to £17.6 billion this year, an increase of up to £1.2 billion. 'This includes £200 million to kickstart putting 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and special constables that the public will see back on their streets and patrolling communities, as part of our Plan for Change.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This government inherited prisons in crisis, close to collapse. We will never put the public at risk by running out of prison places again. 'We are building new prisons, on track for 14,000 places by 2031 – the largest expansion since the Victorians. 'Our sentencing reforms will force prisoners to earn their way to release or face longer in jail for bad behaviour, while ensuring the most dangerous offenders can be kept off our streets. 'We will also increase probation funding by up to £700 million by 2028/29 to tag and monitor tens of thousands more offenders in the community.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer will break crime pledges without funding boost, police chiefs warn
Six of Britain's most senior police chiefs have warned Sir Keir Starmer he will fail to deliver his crime pledges without significant extra funding. With only a fortnight to go before the Government's spending review, the six chiefs including Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, have warned they face a £1.3 billion shortfall in funding. Without plugging the gap, they said Labour pledges to halve knife crime, slash rates of violence against women and girls and recruit 13,000 additional police officers into neighbourhood policing will be at risk. In an article in The Times, the police chiefs said it was 'the most important moment in decades for the government to choose to back policing'. They warned that their ability to 'secure outcomes for victims is at risk' without 'substantial investments'. As well as Sir Mark, they included Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside Police, which has faced two of the biggest challenges in policing over the past year with the Southport attack and the Liverpool parade crash on Monday. The other four signatories are Stephen Watson, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, Craig Guildford, chief constable of West Midlands Police, John Robins, chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, and Gavin Stephens, the chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). The Home Office is one of the departments facing the biggest cuts in the spending review, which will set out the Government's next three years of spending plans from 2026 to 2029, when the next general election is expected to be held. The intervention comes just days after police chiefs warned of the need for extra resources for police and probation to cope with the early release of thousands more prisoners to combat the prison overcrowding crisis. They said there will be a surge in reoffending by freed prisoners unless Chancellor Rachel Reeves provides the extra cash for probation officers to supervise the thousands more criminals set to be released early. One senior police source told The Telegraph: 'We can see why the Government has to do this after a decade of underinvestment in criminal justice but we have some concerns about what the impact will be on policing. We don't feel it's well understood at this point.' The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) have written to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warning that letting criminals 'out of prison' earlier must not mean the offenders are 'out of control.' Under the Government's plans killers, rapists and other violent offenders serving four years or more in jail will be eligible for release after serving just half of their sentence rather than two-thirds if they behave well and engage with rehabilitation schemes. Other less serious criminals such as burglars, thieves and fraudsters on standard determinate sentences with earlier release points can be freed after just a third of their time if they demonstrate good behaviour. Sentences under one year will also be scrapped unless there are exceptional circumstances such as domestic abusers or stalkers who pose a risk and offenders who have breached orders linked to violence against women and girls. The plans were recommended by an independent sentencing review headed by David Gauke and accepted by Ms Mahmood in order to free up 9,800 prison places and avoid overcrowded jails in England and Wales running out of cells. However, Ms Mahmood rejected proposals by the review to free offenders on 'extended determinate sentences' where a judge has set a specific time limit in jail because the court regarded them as dangerous. Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett, who leads on criminal justice for the NPCC, said: 'Out of prison should not mean out of control. 'Adequate funding to support these measures must be reflected in the upcoming spending review, as well as investment in probation services and technology, including electronic monitoring, to enable policing to work across criminal justice agencies to monitor offenders and reduce reoffending.' She added: 'It is crucial for public safety that high-risk offenders, including those convicted of violent or sexual offences, and those who pose a threat to national security, are exempt from early prison release. 'Robust prison sentences for these crimes must remain in place as a strong deterrent and means of keeping the public safe. It is also crucial that victims of domestic abuse are protected and that perpetrators understand that there will be harsh consequences for breaching orders.' Ms Mahmood told MPs she had secured an extra £700 million for the probation service in the spending review as well as deploying 'tens of thousands' more electronic tags to place high-risk offenders under effective 'house arrest' with curfews at night and during the day alongside tighter exclusions which they must not leave.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
After 'Shocking' Police Abortion Guidance, Here's What Campaigners Want To Happen Next
Following the release of new police guidance detailing how to seize phones and search for medications used to terminate pregnancies in the homes of women after unexpected pregnancy loss, campaigners and doctors are urgently calling for abortion to be decriminalised. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has branded the guidance on child death investigation, which comes from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and was updated earlier this year, as 'truly shocking'. If someone is suspected of terminating a pregnancy outside of the legally permitted circumstances, the guidance suggests police could seize phones to examine internet search history, messages and health apps such as menstrual cycle and fertility trackers to 'establish a woman's knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy'. It also offers advice on searching for abortifacients (medications used to terminate pregnancies) as well as packaging, documentation and empty medication blister packs. Now, campaigners and doctors are calling for abortion to be decriminalised, with Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, urging people to write to their MPs to ask them to support it. Labour and Co-op MP Stella Creasy has also urged her followers to take action. The NPCC told HuffPost UK: 'Unexpected pregnancy loss is not something which is routinely investigated by police as potential illegal abortion, and these are very rare. 'We recognise how traumatic the experience of losing a child is, with many complexities involved, and any investigation of this nature will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.' The council added an investigation would only be initiated 'where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity' and this would often be as a result of concerns raised from medical professionals. 'It is important to stress that due to the individuality of each case, there is no standardised policy to investigate illegal abortions and that police will always work closely with health partners, prioritising the welfare of everyone involved,' said the NPCC. But against a backdrop of reproductive rights being rolled back in the US, campaigners are concerned by the update to police guidance. Over the past two years, six women have appeared in UK courts charged with ending their own pregnancy. Since the introduction of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (written before women could vote in the UK), only three other convictions of illegal abortion have been reported, the BMJ said. 'Abortion providers have reported that in recent years they have received c.50requests for women's medical records from the police in relation to suspected abortion offence,' a cross-party amendment briefing on the topic said. Abortion is technically still a criminal offence in England and Wales. It is only 'de facto' legal until 24 weeks because of the Abortion Act 1967, which allows people to circumvent the law by meeting certain conditions (getting the sign-off from two doctors, taking place in a hospital or premises approved by the Secretary of State for Health, and meeting one of the seven criteria that allows abortion). According to the briefing, that means that technically 'any woman who undergoes an abortion without the permission of two doctors – for example by ordering pills online – can be prosecuted and receive a life sentence as her abortion takes place outside of the provisions of the Act'. This is not usually enforced, but the law seems to be getting stricter. Nicola Packer was only cleared of illegally terminating a pregnancy after taking abortion pills during Covid this month, for instance. She had used a registered provider and was covered by emergency lockdown rule changes that allowed people to order abortion pills online up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy (this stayed in place after the lockdown). Earlier this month, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 'welcomed' an amendment which is currently making its way through parliament and calls for abortion to be decriminalised. At the time, Dr Ranee Thakar, president of RCOG, said: 'Abortion that happens outside of the current law generally involves very vulnerable women – including those facing domestic abuse, mental health challenges or barriers to accessing NHS care. 'Yet alarmingly, prosecutions of women have been increasing in recent years.' Stating that abortion is a form of healthcare, Dr Thakar added: 'Parliamentarians now have an unmissable opportunity to decriminalise abortion, to ensure women can access abortion safely, confidentially and free from the threat of investigation and prosecution. 'We urge MPs to support this amendment to ensure that women and girls in England and Wales will have the same protections as their counterparts in countries such as Northern Ireland, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.' The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has also been campaigning for abortion law reform. Spokesperson Katie Saxon said the recent police guidance change 'is the clearest sign yet that women cannot rely on the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, or the courts to protect them'. She added: 'The only way to stop this is to remove women from the criminal law on abortion.' Joeli Brearley, campaigner and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, has now urged people to write to their MPs to ask them to support the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. 'This is not the time for caution,' she wrote on social media. 'We need to go hard or go home. Let's make sure the future of reproductive rights in this country is secure and that no woman who experiences pregnancy loss is ever investigated as a potential criminal.' On Sunday, Stella Creasy took to Instagram to 'beg' her followers to not 'ignore the warning signs that abortion access is under threat on our shores'. 'For the sake of the 250,000 women who have one every year here ask your MP to sign our cross party amendment and vote for it,' she said. 'We only have a few weeks to win this vital fight for our freedoms ... The stakes could not be higher but with your help and all our voices we can do this.' 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