Dan Jarvis MBE MP, Minister for Security, has announced the publication of updated guidance which sets out Serious Organised Crime (SOC) local profiles and the guiding principles for their implementation.
Whilst SOC local profiles are not new – introduced in 2014 – they have been refreshed to respond to the changes to SOC since 2014. The new guidance aims to set out why local profiles are important, explain the guiding principles for their implementation with a focus on local partnership working, and the development of comprehensive 4P (prepare, pursue, protect, and prevent) plans to ensure a positive impact on communities.
The guidance has been updated as HMICFRS’s most recent findings showed while there was innovative practice, there were a lot of areas for improvement in some forces. This included out of date or incomplete profiles, or local profiles not being used effectively to drive forward activity to reduce SOC and then measure the impact this activity had. There was also confusion around how regularly the profiles should be updated, significant barriers to information sharing and how the information should be used within a governance setting for both strategic and tactical decision making.
The updated guidance has been developed in partnership, including with the Welsh Local Government Association. It aims to help local practitioners to overcome issues and encourage good profiling of areas, which is the fundamental first step in understanding and tackling SOC effectively. The guidance includes case studies with examples of innovative practice related to local profile development.
Read the new guidance on the gov.uk website.
