Policy Announcements, Thursday 31 May

Government

• A new power for the police to enter and search a registered sex offender's home, to assess the risk they pose to our communities, was today welcomed by Home Secretary John Reid. The new measure, which comes into force under the Violent Crime Reduction Act, means that where an offender has denied access to the police on more than one occasion, the police can apply for a warrant to enter and search the property, by force if necessary. For example, if a police officer sees a child's bike in the house of a registered sex offender, the officer might then decide to search for further evidence to reassess the risk posed by the offender. Where it can be demonstrated that the offender poses a risk of serious sexual harm, the police could then apply for a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) or decide whether it was necessary to alert others to the presence of the offender. This provision is about prevention and managing the risk of offenders - no new crime has to have happened for the police to apply for a warrant from a magistrate to enter and search.
• Teachers now have the power to search pupils for knives and offensive weapons without consent as part of the Government's drive to ensure schools continue to be safe and secure places to learn. The new power, which comes into force today, comes alongside the ability for schools to screen pupils for violent weapons using devices such as arches and 'wand' metal detectors. Guidance for schools on how best to use these new measures, also published today, makes it clear that screening and searching can be carried out by professional trained security staff, as well as teachers, but where there is felt to be any risk to safety, the police should be called.
• The REACH Regulation on the management and control of chemicals comes into force tomorrow, 1 June. REACH, which stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, is aimed at ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment, as well as improving industry competitiveness and innovation.