Criminal Justice

The Government's strategy for dealing with crime is to sustain the rule of law by preventing crime where possible; to detect culprits when crimes are committed; to convict the guilty and acquit the innocent; to deal firmly, adequately and sensibly with those found guilty; and to pro­vide more effective support for the victims of crime. It is also concerned with ensuring that public confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained and that a proper balance between the rights of the citizen and the needs of the community as a whole is maintained.

With continuing concern in Britain, as in many other countries, over rising crime rates, public expenditure on the law and order programme re­flects the special priority given by the Government to these services. Recent increases have been made to cover, in particular, greater police manpower, the probation service and extra spending on prison building. More than two-thirds of total expenditure is initially incurred by local authorities (with the help of central government grants), mainly on the police service.

A number of measures to strengthen the criminal justice system have been taken. The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 provides for the pre-trial freezing of suspected drug trafficker's assets, backed up on conviction by immediate confiscation of the assets to the value of the proceeds of the crime; similar provisions are included in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1987. The Public Order Act 1986 codifies the common law offences of riot, unlawful assembly and affray; enhances the powers of the police to control public processions and assemblies likely to result in serious dis­order or disruption; strengthens the law against incitement to racial ha­tred; and provides additional powers to combat football hooliganism. Under the Criminal Justice Act 1987 a Serious Fraud Office with wide powers to investigate and prosecute serious or complex fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was established in 1988.