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<p>As set out in the Serious Violence Strategy, the Government is taking a range of
action to support the police and others to prevent acid attacks. This is based on
the action plan announced in July 2017 which is focused on ensuring effective support
to victims and survivors, supporting effective policing, ensuring that the legislation
is understood and consistently applied, and restricting access to acids and other
harmful corrosive products.</p><p>We are working with the National Police Chiefs’
Council on delivery to ensure that the policing response is effective to prevent attacks
from happening in the first place, but also in providing support to victims where
they do. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has developed appropriate training for
officers, including first responder training, specialist investigative guidance to
help police officers understand how to safely recover and handle any evidence at the
scene and the evidence required to build a case for prosecution.</p><p>We are also
strengthening the powers available to the police through the Offensive Weapons Bill
which is currently passing through Parliament. The Bill includes legislative measures
on stopping the sale and delivery of corrosive products to under 18s and making it
an offence to possess a corrosive substance in a public place.</p><p>Alongside this,
the Home Secretary announced on 20 February 2019 that we will be extending stop and
search powers for corrosive substances to allow the police to be able to enforce the
new possession offence effectively. <br>We are also working with the Government’s
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to develop corrosive testing kits for the
police to support them in situations where they believe that a suspect is carrying
a corrosive substance in public.</p><p>In addition, the Government has commissioned
the University of Leicester to examine what motivates offenders to carry and use acid
and other corrosive substances in violent attacks. The research findings are expected
to be available later this year, and these will help to inform further preventative
and enforcement responses.</p>
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