Catch up with the latest news.
Full investigation is key in decisions to prosecute victims of trafficking
Child victims of human trafficking who commit a crime could have charges against them dropped if they can prove that the offence was committed as a result of exploitation, following a recent Court of Appeal case in which the Equality and Human Rights Commission intervened. The Court of Appeal’s ruling… Read more ...MEPs target mafia-style crime
Whistleblowers, informers and witnesses of mafia-style crime should be protected EU wide, says the European Parliament, in a set of proposals voted on this week. The proposals include the following: an EU-wide definition of the crime of participating in a mafia-style organisation; that the Commission should put forward a… Read more ...Tougher penalties mooted for cybercrime
Cyber criminals could soon face tougher EU-wide penalties under a draft directive agreed by MEPs, Council and Commission negotiators last year and endorsed by the EU Parliament Civil Liberties Committee this week. The new rules also aim to facilitate prevention and to boost police and judicial cooperation in this field. The… Read more ...EU fair trial rights proposal
A European Commission proposal to guarantee the rights of all citizens to be advised by a lawyer when facing criminal proceedings has moved a step closer to agreement, after a breakthrough in negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. The draft law would mean all suspects –… Read more ...Prosecution concerns over trafficked child
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has told the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal in England and Wales, that a 14-year-old boy who was trafficked to the UK and forced into slave labour should not have been prosecuted. In this case the boy, identified as T, was… Read more ...Prisoner voting rights debated
Earlier this week, ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary debate on the Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) bill, human rights organisations called on MSPs to consider allowing certain prisoners to vote. Alan Miller, head of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, wrote a letter to each MSP in which he suggested that the "Scottish… Read more ...Confiscating criminals' assets - EU plans
Draft rules to make it easier for national authorities to freeze and confiscate criminals' assets across the EU were beefed up by the European Parliamentary Civil Liberties Committee this week. The MEPs also sought to safeguard the right to a fair trial, and called upon member states to use confiscated… Read more ...EU Civil Liberties Committee rejects PNR proposal
A European Commission proposal to allow the use of EU air passenger name record (PNR) data in investigating serious crime and terrorist offences was rejected by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs last week, by 30 votes to 25. Air carriers collect PNR data from passengers during reservation and check-in procedures for… Read more ...Glasgow is UK’s least peaceful urban area
A recent study by the Institute for Economics and Peace reveals that, while the UK is 11% less violent than a decade ago, Glasgow is the least peaceful of all the major urban areas, with London ranked as the second most violent. Scotland, according to the figures, has the highest… Read more ...