Latest news with #PolicingandCrimeBill
Daily Record
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Livingston MP raises concerns in the Commons about threat of AI-generated child sexual abuse material
Gregor Poynton described it as 'one of the biggest threats to our public safety.' Livingston's MP has raised concerns about the 'growing prevalence' of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Gregor Poynton was speaking in the House of Commons during questions to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, when he described it as 'one of the biggest threats to our public safety.' The West Lothian MP cited warnings from law enforcement bodies, stressing the need for urgent and coordinated action, and criticised recent opposition from the Tories and Reform to new legislation designed to tackle the issue. 'The National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies have highlighted the growing prevalence of AI-generated child sexual abuse material as one of the biggest threats to our public safety,' he said. 'And it's a growing threat to all of us online. 'That's why I was astonished to see the Conservatives and Reform Party vote against the Policing and Crime Bill last week, which contains world-leading measures to criminalise the creation and distribution of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. We simply cannot allow child safety to become a political football.' Responding on behalf of the UK Government, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Feryal Clark MP, confirmed that the Bill introduces a new criminal offence targeting AI models optimised to produce child abuse imagery. She reiterated the government's commitment to adapting the law to keep pace with emerging digital harms. 'Child sexual exploitation and abuse is one of the most horrendous harms,' the Minister said. 'This new offence builds on protections in the Online Safety Act and I'm very clear that nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping our children safe.' Gregor Poynton, chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children's Online Safety, and has consistently advocated for tougher regulation of harmful online content and greater transparency from tech companies. He welcomed the new offence as 'a necessary step', but expressed concern about the political divisions that have emerged around the issue. He added: 'Last week, Parliament had the opportunity to come together behind one of the toughest crackdowns yet on AI-generated child abuse material. It's disappointing that the Conservatives and Reform chose to oppose it. On an issue as serious as child safety, families across the UK expect politicians to do the right thing — to keep our children and young people safe online, not to turn this into a political football.'
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Gregor Poynton MP warns of 'growing threat' from AI-generated child abuse material in Commons exchange
Chair of the APPG for Children's Online Safety urges cross-party focus on protecting children online Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Speaking in the House of Commons during questions to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Gregor Poynton MP raised concerns about the 'growing prevalence' of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, calling it 'one of the biggest threats to our public safety.' Citing warnings from the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement bodies, the Livingston constituency MP stressed the need for urgent and coordinated action, saying: Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies have highlighted the growing prevalence of AI-generated child sexual abuse material as one of the biggest threats to our public safety. And it's a growing threat to all of us online.' Gregor Poynton MP speaking in the House of Common Poynton went on to criticise recent opposition to new legislation designed to tackle the issue: 'That's why I was astonished to see the Conservatives and Reform Party vote against the Policing and Crime Bill last week, which contains world-leading measures to criminalise the creation and distribution of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. We simply cannot allow child safety to become a political football.' Responding on behalf of the Government, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Feryal Clark MP, agreed with Poynton and confirmed that the Bill introduces a new criminal offence targeting AI models optimised to produce child abuse imagery. She reiterated the Government's commitment to adapting the law to keep pace with emerging digital harms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Child sexual exploitation and abuse is one of the most horrendous harms,' the Minister said. 'This new offence builds on protections in the Online Safety Act and I'm very clear that nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping our children safe.' Poynton, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children's Online Safety, has consistently advocated for tougher regulation of harmful online content and greater transparency from tech companies. He welcomed the new offence as 'a necessary step,' but expressed concern about the political divisions that have emerged around the issue:
Telegraph
21-02-2025
- Telegraph
Shoplifting cases going unsolved rise by a fifth in a year
The number of shoplifting offences going unsolved has risen by nearly a fifth in a year, Home Office figures show. Nearly 270,000 shoplifting cases were closed without a suspect being identified in England and Wales in the year to September 2024, a 19 per cent rise on the previous year. They accounted for 55 per cent of all shoplifting cases recorded in the year ending September 2024. On average, 738 shoplifting cases went unsolved every single day in 2024. Just 88,165 shoplifting offences last year resulted in a charge or summons, accounting for 18 per cent of all cases, according to the analysis of Home Office data by the Liberal Democrats. Shoplifting has hit a record high with stores across the country reporting two thefts a minute to police. Overall offences in the year to June 2024 hit nearly 470,000, up 29 per cent on the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, said: 'For too long, shopkeepers have been left vulnerable while criminal gangs are allowed to operate with virtual impunity. 'Our high streets and communities deserve better than this. If the Government wants to deliver safer streets, getting a grip on the unsolved shoplifting epidemic must be a priority. 'The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to keep their promise by restoring proper community policing – with more bobbies on the beat focused on stopping and solving crime.' The Met had the worst outcomes, with 75 per cent of shoplifting cases going unsolved, adding up to 59,133 cases. Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire also fared poorly, with both police forces seeing 66 per cent of shoplifting cases go unsolved. The ONS figures show that there are more than 9,000 shoplifting offences a week, or 1,290 a day, and more than two a minute based on average UK store opening times of 10 hours a day. Crisis adds 6p a transaction The figures are the highest since records began in March 2003, with retailers warning the crisis adds at least 6p to every store transaction by customers. The British Retail Consortium calculates losses at £1.8 billion stolen each year, with a further £700 million spent on extra security. The police-recorded figures are a fraction of the total amount stolen as most shops only report to police when they catch an offender in the act or have CCTV or other evidence. Labour has pledged to introduce laws that require police to investigate even if the goods are worth under £200. A Policing and Crime Bill, to be unveiled next week,will reverse a so-called 'shoplifter's' charter' introduced in 2014, by which theft of goods under £200 is considered 'low value'. The Bill will also introduce a standalone offence of assaulting a shop worker which could carry a maximum sentence of six months to two years. Under an agreement in October 2024 between the Government and police, officers attend shoplifting cases if there is violence against a store worker, a suspected thief is detained or officers are needed to secure evidence. Police say it is 'not realistic' for officers to respond to every shoplifting report. The offences helped push overall police-recorded theft up by three per cent to 1.8 million. There was also a significant 20 per cent jump in theft from the person offences, which include pickpocketing and opportunistic stealing of bags or equipment.
