Critics have said that, rather than considering softening their stance, the government should be looking for ways to plug loopholes and getting tougher on bribery and fraud. There have also been warnings that softening the law will contradict what the Prime Minister said when visiting South-East Asia in a bid to try and drum up new business for the country.

The UK had come under a lot of external pressure from foreign countries amid claims that the government were not doing enough to prevent corruption and bribery. Following years of criticism, the coalition governments introduce what it said was the toughest anti-bribery act the world had seen. At the time, when the Bill was first introduced, the Confederation of British Industry said that it would restrict economic growth, although the PM defended the Bill at the time.

Lobbyists continued to fight against the new laws, even after it was formally introduced in 2011. They said that because it was so much more stringent than laws around the world, it meant that UK businesses were instantly placed at a disadvantage when compared to the rest of the world. They held up US anti-bribery laws as being an example of what they meant.

Despite these concerns continuing, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that there were a number of loopholes that needed filling, rather than the Bill being softened. Consultation is now likely to begin, and there will be arguments from both sides, so it is unlikely that a decision will be made instantly on whether the Bill needs to be changed or whether the apparent loopholes need to be filled and tightened.

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When the cuts were introduced, many lawyers and judges warned that it would be the most vulnerable victims that would suffer the most because they would not have access to the same level of legal aid that they once did, and may even be forced to represent themselves in court if they are unable to pay for a direct access lawyer.

It is believed that Gove’s primary attack will be aimed at the amount of time it takes for vulnerable victims to receive justice once they report a crime. Sources have also said that he is expected to deploy the same level of energy that he used when overhauling the education system in the UK, and he certainly wasn’t afraid of locking horns with senior figures in schools and the education board during his time.

Gove is expected to say that it is unfair that victims are made to suffer twice; once when the crime is committed but also when the crime is reported and the victim waits to have their case heard in the courts. It is the waiting time that seems to have particularly riled the new Justice Secretary, and he is expected to look for ways in which to modernise the legal system and the court system.

Gove is expected to make his speech during his first public address in his role as Justice Secretary when he addresses the Legatum Institute in Central London. He will almost certainly come up against some resistance, and the question of legal aid funding is highly likely to rear its head once again, especially if the government expects a modernisation of the courts system.

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Cities and transport hubs are among the areas where the majority of crimes happen, primarily due to the large concentration of population that reside or work in the area. The more people there are, the more criminals there are, and the greater the opportunity for crimes too. What’s more, shopping centres are a target for shoplifters and thieves, as well as pickpockets, who are also rife in transport hubs like the underground and at airports.

However, there are a number of residential streets that also make the list, and while many are found in the largest cities around the country, there are also streets in Blackpool, Southampton, and Wigan that have reported especially high crime rates. However, none come close to the 158 crimes that were committed in Meridian Square in London in the month of April.

Shopping areas did feature prominently in the list, while Stansted and Gatwick were both also in the top 50. Doncaster Prison was also in the top 50, which may be considered a surprise, but there are some caveats that should be mentioned with the list. In some cases, crimes committed on smaller side streets may not be recorded under their own postcode but listed under the closest large street, but the list does give some idea of the areas that residents should avoid if they want a relatively crime free life.

The table of the top 50 is based on figures released by the Home Office, and it also features night clubs, supermarkets, and industrial centres among the top 50.

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The operation is similar to Operation Trivium, which took place last October and led to the arrest of more than 1,000 criminals. It not only means additional police on the streets, and the potential for identifying ways in which foreign gangs and criminals work, but it also gives UK police access to foreign crime databases. Moves have been made to share data across borders on a long-term basis but, for now, these joint operations offer a convenient means of identifying, locating, and arresting criminals across the country that may have otherwise got away with it.

The operation primarily utilises details of foreign cars, and especially those that are believed to be linked to crimes. Europol has released details of thousands of cars that fit this bill, and the joint task force consisting of bobbies from around Europe will use these details as well as their own expertise to help track down the owners, and potentially bring them to justice. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems are being used to automatically identify the cars that have been highlighted as a potential problem.

Trivium has become a regular occurrence, and it does continue to generate results, but police are keen to point out that it is not targeting the communities that people are from, but the individuals that are believed to have committed crimes. The fourth Operation Trivium will take place between 22nd and 28th June, and police hope it will yield similar results to last year’s operation.

Last year, 7,151 vehicles were stopped in all. 555 of these vehicles were seized, 1,073 people were arrested for non-motoring related offences and an additional 3,458 people were given spot fines for driving offences and motoring related offences. The operation has been hailed as a success not only in capturing those that are guilty of crimes including trafficking and drug smuggling, but also in cooperative policing efforts between forces from across borders.

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There has long been a gap in the number of sex crimes that are believed to have been committed compared to the number that are reported, and this has largely been down to public confidence. Whereas a murder is reported without fail, victims of sexual assault and rape often choose not to approach the police or report the incident, either because they are afraid of the perceived shame or because they do not believe that the reports will be taken seriously.

However, sentiment has changed notably in the past few years, and especially since high profile cases involving celebrities have hit the headlines. Operation Yewtree, which arose as a result of reported sexual crimes committed by shamed entertainer Jimmy Saville, has seen many more people willing to come forward, and especially because media and police sentiment has been shown to be behind the victims.

Between April 2014 and March 2015, there were 55 murders reported in Scotland, which is two fewer than the year before. Attempted murder and serious assault figures also declined during this period, while violent crime rates fell by 6% overall. The detection rate was 84%, but the number of sexual crimes recorded increased by 9.3%. Rather than being alarmed by these figures, however, Police Scotland has attributed the increase to the change in the way in which such crimes are reported, and the fact that victims are now more likely to report them.

Police Scotland also said that they have made significant in-roads into organised crime in the country, and said that “user satisfaction” with the police force is at a very high level, and has continued to improve since the introduction of a unified service.

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