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See other news storiesThe new Home Office: Protecting the public, securing our future
9 May 2007
A leaner, more focused Home Office starts today, and a new Ministry of Justice launches.
The division of the Home Office culminates an extraordinary programme of reform and change initiated by Home Secretary John Reid shortly after he took over running the department last year.
Welcoming the changes to the department, the Home Secretary said: 'The world doesn't stand still and neither should we. That's why we have refocused the Home Office on the issues that matter most to the public - crime, immigration and protection against terrorism.
'These are the great issues of our time - issues of personal, community and national security. It is right that they should be the focus of the new Home Office that comes into being today - a Home Office dedicated to protecting the public and securing the future.'
Our new focus
As the Home Secretary indicated, from today the department will target its attention on some of the most critical issues facing Britain.
Specialising in fighting crime and terrorism and protecting our borders will mean that the Home Office will turn all of its attention on these important issues:
- helping people feel safer in their homes and local communities
- protecting the public from terrorist attack
- cutting crime, especially violent, drug and alcohol related crime
- supporting visible, responsive and accountable policing
- strengthening our borders, fast-tracking asylum decisions, ensuring and enforcing compliance with our immigration laws and boosting Britain’s economy
- safeguarding people’s identity and the privileges of citizenship
- working with our partners to build an efficient, effective and proportionate Criminal Justice System.
Included in the new Home Office is an Office for Security and Counter-terrorism, which will be the nation's specialists in fighting the threat of terrorism.
Dr Reid said the new anti-terror unit 'will ensure a seamless response to the terrorist threat.'
New Ministry of Justice launched
From today, all responsibilities for criminal law and sentencing, reducing re-offending, and prisons and probation will transfer from the Home Office to a new Ministry of Justice (new window), built around the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
Protecting the public
The Home Secretary said the Home Office will now devote all of its attention to its most important role: protecting the public.
'The newly formed Border and Immigration Agency will build on successes in bringing asylum claims to their lowest level in 10 years, and removing record numbers of people who have no right to be here,' he said.
'We will build a national ID card scheme to combat illegal immigration, organised crime and international terrorism, and we will continue to deliver on our commitment to protect the public from crime and anti-social behaviour.'
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