Good morning, a big thank you to Dean and Policy Exchange for putting together what I am sure will be a fascinating event.

It is a chance to talk about something that is close to all of our hearts and should be close to the forefront of our minds in terms of the security of our country at every level. When we talk about security we often focus on counter-terrorism and the challenges we see that are particularly brought to the forefront when we see tragedies as we have done in Grays last week.

We have to think about what more we can do to be ready for the challenge and pressures of serious and organised crime and how that affects us every single day, particularly in a fast changing environment as the technology is changing and allowing to criminals to attack us in terms of fraud and cyber-crime.

I would argue that we here in the UK have been trailblazing in technological, operational progress when it comes to how we protect our citizens, for a very long time.

From Operation Mincemeat and cracking the enigma code in WW2 to the Global Coalition against Daesh, we in the UK can proudly say we have shown the world that we have a first-class global security capability. That’s something we should be proud of, but we should also be ready to challenge ourselves about what’s next, and how we continue to make sure that we are world leading in protecting our citizens.

We cannot be complacent. I have the honour to every day have the ability to work with our security services to see what they do. I am determined to make it my mission to keep the UK at the forefront of keeping our citizens safe. I am very clear about the amazing work our agencies, like the NCA and all our law enforcement agencies, do in that regard.

And so what does Brexit mean for this? Against all the odds and what many said wasn’t possible, the Prime Minister has gone to Europe and secured a fresh deal, and secured one that managed to pass second reading in the House of Commons. One that delivers on the result of the referendum. One that delivers an opportunity for UK security.

This morning I am going to outline my vision for the future security of the UK. This has 3 key messages that I would like to share: we will be international, we will be on the cutting-edge, and we will be clear that we want to hit criminals where it hurts.

We will be international.

Terrorists and criminals know no boundaries. We had that brought into clear perspective with the tragedy in Grays just last week. Although we are leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe, and we will continue to work closely with our partners there, focusing our efforts where there is genuine mutual benefit, seeking deeper, more effective relationships.

We will harness the UK’s role as a leader in this area to pursue an ambitious and close security relationship with the EU. Brexit gives us the chance to develop an even stronger and closer global relationship with our partners as well. Brexit creates an opportunity to look beyond our traditional methods and to take a global approach to security.

To do this we need to go further in investing in our international relationships, such as with our partners in 5 Eyes, with Interpol, and with countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan and India, to name but a few. Just this month I laid in Parliament our new data access agreement with the USA, a global first that will allow us to target child exploitation and terrorism online. It will help us ensure that there is no safe place for those that seek to do us harm.

Our approach to organised crime and counter-terrorism is world-class. We will continue to project UK influence, through capacity building work in areas such as Anti-Corruption, and collaborative action with overseas partners to tackle international illicit financial flows, to ensure global prosperity and the protection of UK assets.

We will also collaborate to combat terrorism and organised crime as a global problem. Our counter-terror CONTEST strategy is the basis for the UN’s global doctrine and we will carry on supporting activity to combat terrorist groups of any ideology that threaten our way of life.

We will be cutting-edge, because the threat we face is increasingly sophisticated, and with technological change, fast moving.

Organised crime gangs, paedophiles, terrorists and hostile states all use technology to conduct their crimes and to hide from justice. But we must not let them. We have set up cyber-crime units in each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales and announced 30 million pounds to bolster law enforcement capabilities to tackle child abuse offenders who operate on the dark web.

We mustn’t be afraid to call out changes that are coming that can threaten the safety of people as well. We want technology itself to be part of the solution. We want to work with industry to reduce the availability of terrorist and child abuse content online.

There is just too much ease with which that kind of material can currently go online, and the speed of which we’re able to deal with that is not as good as it can be. We want to work with work with industry to make sure that goes faster and better. To make sure we are clear about the risks of things like the encryption work that Facebook are talking about moving to. The fact that it could mean that we see what is effectively now restricted to the dark web, coming into the open web. That’s not in their interest and its certainly not in any national interest. But that collaboration work pays dividends.

Earlier this month the Metropolitan Police set up an innovative project with Facebook to train algorithms to identify and remove live streaming of terrorist content. We cannot allow the online world to become a safe haven for terrorists or sex offenders.

Vital to this is the continued engagement of companies such as Facebook on issues such as end to end encryption is that fact that we can work together and find a way through, and we must. Things like end to end encryption would be hugely detrimental to the work of our law enforcement, and to the safety and security of our citizens.

Last week I announced our new drone strategy, another global first. Drone technology provides enormous opportunities for leisure and industry. But it also provides new opportunities to criminal organisations and terrorists. Our strategy is about minimising the threat from malicious use of drones and to strike a balance that allows us to ensure we can reap the fullest rewards of incorporating drone technology into society.

To launch this strategy I visited QinetiQ in Farnborough and saw another example of the UK’s technological expertise in the security field. In a way that can be good for our economy and economic opportunities. We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got the regulatory framework right, and get the balance right between economic opportunity and keeping people safe.

And finally, making sure we are unashamedly hitting criminals where it hurts, because toughening up our criminal justice system has to go beyond prison sentences.

These criminal organisations are businesses. They are criminal businesses, but they are businesses, and the finance matters to them. We must stop weapons and drugs from reaching our streets and ensure that criminals cannot become rich from their ill-gotten gains.

In the past couple of months Border Force and NCA investigations have led to 2 record seizures of heroin and firearms being smuggled across our border. We have stopped these from reaching our streets and prevented the horrific crimes that they enable.

And in the last year we have seized 217 million pounds from criminals, using this money to compensate victims and fund further law enforcement. This is an increase of 22% on last year and reflects fantastic work across government to ensure that crime does not pay.

Underpinning all of this is the brilliant work of the National Crime Agency, and I’m delighted that Lynne Owens, Director General of the NCA, is here today. Yesterday I visited the NCA to announce the launch of the Serious and Organised Crime review. This will be an ambitious review to consider how we turbo charge our efforts in this field. I am delighted that Sir Craig Mackey, QPM, has agreed to lead this. His wide experience in the world of law enforcement is the perfect foundation to address these challenges.

The review will build on the Strategy that we published a year ago, looking at the system, and the laws and powers and governance structures that we have in place. To be able to inform us not just how we preserve what we have, but how we are ready to change and meet the challenges of the future. So we continue to have and go further in having a world class law enforcement system.

In particular the review must focus on criminal activity that is on the rise – such as fraud and county lines, as well as important issues such as immigration crime as illustrated by the tragic incident in Essex last week. And we will consider how we position ourselves to close the gaps that give space for such criminal activity to take place. We will draw on good ideas from other countries and suggest how those ideas can be adapted to work in a uniquely UK context.

Craig will propose what long term investments might be needed to carry us into the second half of the 21st century with the right capabilities, skills and structures to leave no space for serious and organised criminals to operate. This will feedback ahead of the Spending Review next year and we will ensure that we have the resources to support innovative solutions.

We are the only party committed to cracking down on crime. Successive Conservative Prime Ministers and Home Secretaries have made that a priority, and we should be proud of that fact. Criminals must not be allowed to enjoy the profits from their offending at the expense of law-abiding citizens. They need to be clear that this is a country that they should be fearful of trying to operate in.

It is our responsibility to keep the UK safe and to strike fear into those that would do us harm at any level. I take the weight of that responsibility very seriously.

We as a government will continue to take it seriously, and we want to make sure that we are ready to deal with those challenges.

To meet them, match them and move beyond them, over the next few years.

Efforts to boost the appeal of the magistracy, to current incumbents and potential applicants, will focus on ensuring that magistrates roles are rewarding and meaningful. In order to attract more new applicants, the Ministry of Justice will work closely with the magistracy to develop a new recruitment strategy that aims to streamline the process and encourage greater diversity.

The move follows a report by the Justice Select Committee recommending a series of measures designed to make working as a magistrate more appealing. 

The government has worked since 2015 to increase recruitment of magistrates. According to a survey carried out by the Judicial Office in 2017, 80% of respondents said they had a strong feeling of satisfaction with their role; 89% said they had a strong personal attachment to the role; and 91% said they would recommend the role to friends or colleagues.

Diversity has also improved. The most recent statistics, published in July 2019, show that 12% of magistrates declared themselves as being from a BAME background – an increase of four percentage points since 2012 – and 56% of magistrates were female – an increase of five percentage points since 2012.

Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP said:

More than 1,000 new magistrates were recruited in 2018 alone but we are aware there is more to be done. That is why we are working closely with the judiciary to ensure an easier and faster recruitment process as well as improving diversity and, importantly, boosting morale.

Magistrates continue to be a central pillar of our world-class justice system, sacrificing their valuable time to give back to their local communities. I would encourage anybody interested in the role to consider applying.

Work will include establishing a Magistrates Recruitment and Attraction Steering Group, jointly headed by the Ministry of Justice and leadership magistrates, to drive this activity – promoting the magistracy and increasing recruitment, with a particular focus on increasing diversity.

Potential candidates will receive better and clearer information on what the role entails, what the application process involves and the vacancies that are available in a particular area. Research will be carried out to understand what recruitment activity has been successful and ensure that good ideas and best practice are shared across the magistracy, including in areas that struggle to attract sufficient candidates.

Work with communications and marketing experts will help to target marketing and recruitment activity more effectively, and there will be more work to promote the benefits to employers. This work will raise the profile of the magistracy with the aim of recruiting more diverse members.

The implications of a change to the retirement age for all judicial office holders, including magistrates, will also be consulted on publicly in due course. A new tool is being developed to plan more effectively for long-term recruitment needs, bringing together data and analysis about magistrates in post, expected resignations and retirement rates.

The government also committed to begin a review of magistrates’ expenses in 2019 and work has now begun.

Who can apply to become a magistrate?

• People over the age of 18 and under 65.

• Applications may be considered for those aged between 65 and 70 but all magistrates must retire at 70.

• People must be aware of social issues, have sound judgement and be of good character (which means they cannot have been convicted of a serious crime or a number of minor offences, have been banned from driving in the last ten years or have been declared bankrupt).

• They must be reliable and mature and be able to listen and communicate with others.

• For further details about eligibility visit www.judiciary.uk/publications/advisory-committees-justices-peace or www.gov.uk/become-magistrate

Our endeavours to improve performance and provide a better customer experience are continuing to deliver much improved planning appeal handling times. A total of 67 inspectors have been recruited this year and are dealing with appeals. This has allowed our more experienced inspectors to concentrate on the older, more complex appeals that were waiting to be decided. Since the beginning of the year this has reduced the number of older cases in the system by 50%.

Over the past 3 months we have delivered a record of around 3,700 appeal decisions, this is the highest number for the second quarter running this year. Our customers are also seeing their planning appeals, handled through the Written Representation process, being decided on average within 20 – 25 weeks and 42% in 18 weeks.

Rosewell Review

The recommendations of the Rosewell Review are proving to be effective resulting in the first 22 cases being decided within 26 weeks; 21 of these cases were decided in 24 weeks. Since March, the Inquiry event for more than 80 planning appeal inquiries has been scheduled within 13 to 16 weeks from the start of the appeal.

We know the time taken to deal with Enforcement appeals is not meeting expectations. To improve this, we are working on improving our processes and making better use of digital technology. We have appointed more than 20 additional Enforcement inspectors and case officers to deal with these. We expect that new appeals, from January 2020 that follow the written representations procedure, will meet our current target of 36 weeks. With the intention of improving the time taken to deal with Enforcement Inquiry cases, we are also going to trial the principles of the Rosewell Review.

Putting customers at the heart of everything we do

Our determination to improve the service we offer to customers doesn’t end with deciding appeals quickly. We also want to make it easier for customers to do business with us.

We have an ongoing project to transform our end-to-end delivery process by:

• Making it easier for our customers to do business with us
• Supporting our staff to work as efficiently and effectively as possible
• Maximising the use of digital opportunities
• Providing excellent value for money for taxpayers

A new planning appeals portal is currently being developed to make it easier for customers to submit and participate in the appeal process. This new portal helps guide the customer through making submissions to ensure they submit the correct documents and automatically validated appeals. Once appeals are received, customers will be able to track progress via the portal’s clear timeline.

This new service went live in August with 27 local authorities in East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent. These authorities are testing the service on s.78 planning appeals suitable to be decided by written representation procedure. As the service is tested and improved, we will be expanding the number of appeals processed via the service.

Implementing a more effective and efficient structure

To achieve our goal of putting customers at the heart of everything we do, we are also changing the way we are structured. We have created a slimmed down, more effective management team to focus on delivering an outstanding service to our customers, to look to the future, making the right strategic decisions.

The new structure will also make the processing of appeals more efficient by inspector and case work teams working together at the very the start of an appeal.

Our work to improve performance and our customer’s experience is continuing. We will keep you updated here.

Earlier this week the British Ambassador to Lithuania, Brian Olley, journeyed to Šeštokai to see the rail exchange point, where standard and broad gauge railways meet.

‘Tractable’ is the British Army’s name for the complex, large-scale movement by sea, rail, air and road move of a wide variety of armoured, combat-ready vehicles from the UK and Germany to the UK enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup based in Tapa, Estonia. These will replace one-for-one the vehicles currently based there.

The Ambassador met at Šeštokai with Brigadier Jo Chestnutt, the Commander of 104 Logistic Support Brigade (UK). This brigade, in partnership with Lithuanian Railways, has been trans-loading a fleet of heavy armoured vehicles, which includes Challenger 2 main battle tanks, AS90 artillery weapons and Warrior infantry fighting vehicles and today were working hard alongside their Lithuanian military and civilian colleagues to get the vehicles on their way.

The UK Defence Attache to Lithuania, Major Thomas O’Boy said:

This rotation of our vehicle fleet presented a unique opportunity to test military mobility across Europe, and in doing so, demonstrate the UK’s commitment to the collective defence of Lithuania and our other NATO allies. I’ve been hugely impressed by the diligence and professionalism of both the Lithuanian and UK logistics planners.

Liaison officers were established in all of the countries: including in Vilnius, where Lieutenant Ross Turner has been embedded with the Lithuanian Defence Staff and NATO Force Integration Unit.

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