Home Office - Priorities

Priorities

The Department outlined its aims for this Parliament in its Business Plan, which was published in May 2011 and superseded its Structural Reform Plan. The plan said the department will:

1. Empower the public to hold the police to account for their role in cutting crime

• Introduce directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners and make police actions to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour more transparent

2. Free up the police to fight crime more effectively and efficiently

• Cut police bureaucracy, end unnecessary central interference and overhaul police powers in order to cut crime, reduce costs and improve police value for money. Simplify national institutional structures and establish a National Crime Agency to strengthen the fight against organised crime (and replace the Serious Organised Crime Agency)

3. Create a more integrated criminal justice system

• Help the police and other public services work together across the criminal justice system

4. Secure our borders and reduce immigration

• Deliver an improved migration system that commands public confidence and serves our economic interests. Limit non-EU economic migrants, and introduce new measures to reduce inflow and minimise abuse of all migration routes, for example the student route. Process asylum applications more quickly, and end the detention of children for immigration purposes

5. Protect people's freedoms and civil liberties

• Reverse state interference to ensure there is not disproportionate intrusion into people‟s lives

6. Protect our citizens from terrorism

• Keep people safe through the Government‟s approach to counter-terrorism

7. Build a fairer and more equal society (through the Government Equalities Office)

• Help create a fair and flexible labour market. Change culture and attitudes. Empower individuals and communities. Improve equality structures, frontline services and support; and help Government Departments and others to consider equality as a matter of course

The Home Office publishes progress against the plan on the 10 Downing Street website.