New powers invoked by Government for police to tackle neighbourhood crime

The Government is including measures to address the highest-harm crimes impacting society, such as knife crime, violence against women and girls, cyber crime and terrorism.

The police service will be given enhanced powers against the theft of mobile phones and no longer need a warrant to search properties where stolen items have been electronically geolocated.

Under the new warrantless powers of entry, officers will be able to enter premises identified by electronic mapping if stolen items are believed to be there and it’s not practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This can be done through a ‘Find my Phone’ app, Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth, mobile network technology or tracking devices attached to any other possession or vehicle.

This will support the police to act swiftly in the ‘golden hour’ of investigations, which is particularly crucial for investigations into theft, helping to provide swifter seizures of stolen property and providing a better service for victims.

Sitting at the heart of the Government’s Safer Streets mission and ‘Plan for Change’, the Crime and Policing Bill will help to tackle the crimes that matter most to communities, but have been “ignored for too long”.

The new laws will be backed up by the recruitment of 13,000 extra neighbourhood policing roles, with a named officer stationed in every community.

Flagship legislation 

On the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This flagship Crime and Policing Bill is at the heart of our mission for safer streets and this Government’s ‘Plan for Change’. For too long, communities have had to put up with rising town centre and street crime and persistent anti-social behaviour, while neighbourhood policing numbers have been cut.”

Cooper continued: “For years now, too little has been done to tackle the most serious violence of all, including knife crime and violence against women. That’s why the new Crime and Policing Bill is about taking back our streets and town centres, restoring respect for law and order and giving the police service and local communities the support and tools they need to tackle local crime.”

On the new warrantless powers of entry, Cooper stated: “For the last few years, our towns and cities have seen street theft rise as organised gangs have been targeting mobile phones. It’s extremely frustrating for victims when they can see exactly where their stolen smart phone has gone, but nothing is done. This is why we are determined to give the police the powers they need to move fast to crack down on these crimes that are blighting our communities.”

There’s a significant focus on protecting High Streets. The effective immunity for shop theft of goods below £200 will be scrapped and retail workers will be better protected from assault. There will also be increased powers to crack down on repeat anti-social behaviour offenders, with new Respect Orders banning those prolific offenders from town centres.

Police officers will be given the power to seize vehicles that cause havoc to communities, allowing them to deal with the scourge of off-road bikes in public parks and dangerous e-scooters on pavements.

National emergency

The Crime and Policing Bill will treat violence against women and girls as the national emergency it truly is, ensuring tougher enforcement action against perpetrators and better protection for victims. It will strengthen Stalking Protection Orders, introduce a new criminal offence covering spiking.

To help rebuild confidence in policing, chief constables will be enabled to remove officers who are unfit to serve by allowing them the right to appeal the result of Misconduct Boards to the Police Appeals Tribunal.

In the year ending September 2024, police recorded one million incidents of anti-social behaviour. In the same period, they recorded over 490,000 shop theft offences, which is an increase of 23% over the previous 12-month period. Instances of theft from a person increased by 22%, while there were also over 55,000 recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.

Other measures that have already been announced by the Government, such as the presumption of anonymity for firearms officers facing criminal proceedings relating to the use of lethal force in the line of duty, will be introduced later in the Parliamentary process. This also includes Ronan’s Law, which clamps down on the online sale of knives.

Community safety

Clare Sumner, chief policy and social impact officer at the Premier League, said: “The Premier League welcomes the Government’s commitment to making communities safer for all through the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill. The Premier League and our clubs, together with our partners across the game, are committed to using the power of football to provide positive opportunities for young people.”  

Launched in 2006 in tandem with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police Service, ‘Premier League Kicks’ is one of the flagship programmes delivered by 93 professional football club charities across the country to support young people in high-need areas. The programme provides free weekly football sessions in safe environments offering mentoring, personal development opportunities and positive pathways for young people.

Liz Evans, Asda’s chief commercial officer (non-food and retail), commented: “The Crime and Policing Bill is a major step forward, which builds on the measures that this Government has already introduced to deliver the Safer Streets mission. Recent interventions, like the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will help us to directly tackle two significant challenges that we are facing as a business. Incidences of assault and shoplifting are daily challenges across our estate, which have a devastating impact on colleagues and customers.”

Evans added: “More police working in our communities will have a positive impact as we continue to mitigate those challenges. That’s why we warmly welcome the Crime and Policing Bill and recognise it as a key milestone in combating retail crime and anti-social behaviour. As I’ve said before, Asda is ready to work in partnership with our new neighbourhood officers to help reduce crime and improve safety in the areas we serve.”

Association of Convenience Stores CEO James Lowman explained: “We strongly welcome the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill, which we hope will send a clear message that shop theft and assaults on retailers will be taken seriously by both the police and the criminal justice system. People running and working in shops deserve to be treated with respect. We believe the Crime and Policing Bill takes important steps towards that goal.”

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, observed: “Neighbourhood Watch is delighted that the Government is continuing to show its commitment to neighbourhood policing. The focus on addressing and reducing the epidemic of anti-social behaviour, theft and shoplifting that we all witness in our town centres and communities will play an important role in increasing feelings of confidence in the police and feeling safer in our local communities.”

Hayward-Cripps went on to state: “The reduction in police funding over the last 15 years has been particularly felt in neighbourhood policing, resulting in low public confidence and crimes going unreported due to the perception that the police don’t have the resources to investigate. The Crime and Policing Bill, combined with the additional resources being introduced, will enable the police to do the job they want to do rather than only focusing on their biggest priorities. It signals the Government’s commitment to improving our communities and making us all feel safer and more connected.”

Addressing violent crime

Dawn Dines, the CEO of Stamp Out Spiking, welcomes the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill with its clear indications that Government policy is addressing violent crime, anti-social behaviour and spiking as a matter of priority.

Dines said: “Increasing public confidence and the sense that people will be safer on our streets, without the fear of being attacked, together with enhanced policing visibility will go a long way towards creating community cohesion and confidence in Home Office strategies. The key to combating predators of these spiking crimes, enhancing public protection and reducing anti-social behaviour is proactive education. A collaborative approach is essential to satisfy the needs of different communities, environments and changing trends.”

Dines suggests that it’s paramount for service providers to have the confidence of receiving current and concise information from key stakeholders who deal with victims and security in the day and night-time economy.

“Clearly, the detection and prevention of crime is not only a matter for the police. It’s the duty of us all as caring and compassionate citizens. The Crime and Policing Bill will create a positive impact on encouraging victims to come forward and to report, duly indicating that offending is not acceptable and will have severe consequences.”

Retail sector focus

Responding to the announcement in Parliament concerning the Crime and Policing Bill, Helen Dickinson (CEO of the British Retail Consortium) stated: “With our most recent Retail Crime Survey showing this form of crime to be spiralling out of control, it’s clear that we need action to both protect our retail colleagues from harm and tackle the surge in theft.”

Dickinson continued: “The proposed measures in the Crime and Policing Bill are vital steps in stamping out violence against retail workers and shoplifting. A standalone offence will improve the visibility of the issue so that police services can allocate appropriate resources to the challenge. It will also act as a deterrent to would-be offenders.”

In conclusion, Dickinson said: “The Crime and Policing Bill needs to protect all retail staff working in customer-facing roles. Violence and abuse is not restricted to those working in stores. Delivery drivers are equally subjected to abuse, physical violence and threats with weapons. As a result, retailers are having to equip their drivers with protective measures, such as personal safety devices, to alert the police of their whereabouts, as well as DNA spit testing kits. We hope to see this issue addressed as the Crime and Policing Bill makes its way through Parliament.”

Jason Towse, managing director of the Business Services division at Mitie, informed Security Matters: “Those in the industry know that retail crime is never victimless, with a shocking rise in organised crime, prolific offending and assaults on retail workers involving weapons. Too many have suffered and have been left with long-lasting scars that persist even after their injuries have healed. The introduction of the assault on a retail worker as a standalone offence is long overdue and must become a reality as soon as possible so that we finally start to see punishments that fit the crime and drive not just safer retail environments, but also safer communities in which we work and live.”

Towse continued: “When we think of retail workers, we often overlook the security officers who strive to safeguard colleagues and customers within stores every day. It’s important that they are also included within this offence. Disturbingly, retail security officers also face injuries daily as they fulfil their duties, with a total of 968 incidents in 2024 resulting in physical harm to our security personnel alone. In today’s working world, it’s hard to think of another environment where this would be tolerated.”

Further, Towse explained: “If we are to take a zero tolerance approach to retail crime with the necessary justice system in place, all parts of the industry must be considered and must remain united. As the Crime and Policing Bill moves through Parliament, retailers, security businesses and law enforcement must maintain a collaborative approach and start to improve troubling statistics themselves by using data and technology as enablers. Valuable footage captured by security officers using body-worn cameras and the formal data-sharing agreements established between retailers and the police are already starting to lead to convictions. With harsher sentences coming into play, these tools and strategies are essential for apprehending offenders and ensuring that proof is captured such that those offenders face appropriate legal consequences.”

Scope of the legislation

The full scope of the Crime and Policing Bill at introduction includes:

Tackling anti-social behaviour by:

*giving the police and others stronger powers to tackle anti-social behaviour by introducing Respect Orders

*removing the need for police to issue a warning before seizing vehicles, such as off-road bikes being used in an anti-social manner

*strengthening the use of existing anti-social behaviour powers (the Crime and Policing Bill also gives ministers the power to issue statutory guidance to councils in England on the enforcement of fly-tipping)

Tougher action on knife crime including:

*creating a power to seize, retain and destroy bladed articles found on private property

*increasing the maximum penalty for the sale of dangerous weapons to under-18s

*creating a new criminal offence of possessing a bladed article with the intent to cause harm

Protecting retail workers by:

*introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, giving workers in shops up and down the country the protection they need

*removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, in turn sending a clear message that any level of shop theft will be taken seriously

Protecting vulnerable children and adults by:

*introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation alongside a civil preventative order designed to stop the abhorrent exploitation of children by criminals

*making ‘cuckooing’ a specific offence, in turn protecting the most vulnerable people whose homes are used by others to commit criminal activity

*extending the current offence of exposure and creating a new child abduction offence

Tackling violence against women and girls by: 

*creating new offences criminalising the taking or recording of intimate images or videos without consent or a reasonable belief in consent

*creating a new offence capturing spiking

*empowering the police to release the identity online of stalkers to victims, alongside strengthening the use of Stalking Protection Orders, while issuing guidance to agencies on combating stalking

New powers to tackle serious crime including: 

*banning the possession or distribution of electronic devices used in vehicle theft

*strengthening the ability to apply corporate criminal liability to the make-up of modern corporations

Strengthening the supervision of offenders in the community by:

*giving probation officers the power to polygraph test more serious offenders who have committed sexual or terrorism-motivated crimes

Introducing new public order and safety powers including:  

*banning the possession of fireworks, flares and other pyrotechnics at protests

*criminalising the climbing of specified war memorials, making it clear that such disrespectful behaviour is unacceptable

*banning the use of face coverings to conceal a person’s identity at protests designated by the police

Tackling fraud and economic crime by:

*prohibiting the possession and supply of ‘SIM farms’ with no legitimate purpose

*reforming the confiscation powers used to strip convicted criminals of their proceeds of crime

*introducing cost protections for law enforcement agencies to protect them from the risk of adverse costs when investigating kleptocrats and high-net worth individuals and corporations

Giving the police service the powers they need including: 

*creating a new targeted power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize electronically0tracked stolen goods ranging from mobile phones to stolen vehicles and agricultural machinery

*expanding the lawful purposes by which law enforcement agencies can access the DVLA’s driver licence records

Tougher action on drugs including: 

*expanding police powers to drug test more suspects on arrest, helping to direct more drug users into treatment and away from illegal drugs

Enhancing public confidence in policing by: 

*reforming the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) investigative processes and giving chief officers the right to appeal the result of misconduct boards to the Police Appeals Tribunal

*putting the IOPC’s victims’ right of review on a statutory footing

Update counter-terrorism powers by: 

*implementing recommendations of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, such as introducing Youth Diversion Orders to divert young people away from terrorism-related activity