PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(2 June 2025)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of her Department's guidelines to call 101 or 999 when reporting transnational crimes as her Department does not have a working definition of transnational repression.

Asked by:
Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat)

As recommended by the Defending Democracy Taskforce's review of transnational repression (TNR), the UK recognises TNR as a term used to describe certain foreign state-directed crimes against individuals, ranging from threat-to-life to online harassment. The description is deliberately broad to provide maximum flexibility to address this evolving threat. The National Security Act 2023 has already given us powers to address this activity.

The Government has published new guidance on GOV.UK providing those who believe themselves to be at risk of TNR with practical advice for their safety both physically and online, including what TNR is and how to report it.

The TNR Review carefully considered – in consultation with Counter Terrorism Policing - how best to encourage reporting and ensure that reports received are treated seriously and dealt with appropriately. Existing functions have been found to be efficient, effective, and widely recognised, with trained officers and staff dealing with crime reporting on a 24/7 basis. These existing mechanisms ensure victims receive the support they need.

The College of Policing have launched training and guidance on state-directed crimes which is now available for all 45 territorial police forces in the UK.

Answered by:
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