The functions of Home office

The home office is the primary government department that is in charge of passports, immigration, the drugs policy, counter-terrorism, crime and the police.

This organization - the home office of the United Kingdom is actually headed by a team of five ministers and the main Home Secretary.

Passports and Immigration

There are three divisions within this category:

Identity and Passport Service division
Immigration and Asylum
Visas

This division handled by the Identity and Passport Service division is responsible for the following activities:

Applications of any new passports from nationals
Renewal of existing passports for nationals
Processing of lost or stolen passports
Changes to name in the passport

The division handled by Immigration and Asylum are responsible for the following activities:

Permissions to non-nationals to work in the UK
Permissions to enter or stay in the UK
Citizenship decisions of non-nationals
Providing asylum and refuge to affected individuals

The division that handles the visas are the UK Border agency and they have a varied set of tasks.

Drugs and Alcohol

The misuse of any drugs or of alcohol is known to cause some serious issues within the community. This division looks to enforce laws around the consumption and sale of all kinds of drugs and alcohol. They also work towards the licensing of drugs. They have a council that works specifically on drugs use - ‘The advisory council on the misuse of drugs’ who aim to reduce the overall consumption through legislation.

Counter Terrorism

This particular field is handled by ‘the office for security and counter-terrorism.’ The main responsibility of this organization is to keep the country of United Kingdom safe from any threat that is posed by terrorism. This is a very serious threat that is real as well and required much care.

If ever any citizens would like to report any activities that are against national security, they can do so by calling 999 or the counter-terrorism 24-hour hot line on 0800 789 321.

People who are informing the police will stay anonymous and will help in saving many thousands of lives.

Crime

This division of ‘Crime and Victims’ is responsible for keeping citizens safe from any crimes that may been committed against them. The primary responsibilities of this department is to:

Help people who are in abusive relationships
End any violence against girls and women
Keeping peoples homes secure
Keeping people’s businesses safer through online assessments
Reduce and end any crime committed on the basis of hate
Decrease any of the effects of crimes that are pre-organized

The Police

The British police today are a highly complex group - they are multi-layered, varied and highly responsive. They work solely towards the safety of the nation’s citizens. The three levels of police personnel who are deployed to work with citizens are: