The Crime and Policing Bill, which will apply largely to England and Wales, has been put before UK Parliament today and is set to be backed by an extra 13,000 police officers.
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed the bill, which sets out a raft of measures to tackle retail crime:
- The ‘effective immunity’ for shop theft offences under the value of £200 will be scrapped
- Assaulting a shop worker will become a separate offence (as is already the case in Scotland)
- Police will no longer need to apply for a warrant to search a premises where stolen goods have been electronically located
- Increased powers to crack down on repeat antisocial behaviour offenders, with new Respect Orders banning those prolific offenders from town centres
- Expanding police powers to drug test more suspects on arrest, helping direct more drug users into treatment and away from illegal drugs
- Creating a new criminal offence of possessing a bladed article with the intent to cause harm
Figures from the 2024 ACS Crime Report show that in the convenience sector alone, retailers recorded 5.6 million incidents of shop theft, highlighting a significant disconnect between the number of crimes that take place and the number that end up being recorded by the police.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “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 justice system. People running and working in shops deserve to be treated with respect, and we believe this Bill takes important steps toward that goal.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP 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 antisocial behaviour, while neighbourhood police have been cut. And for years too little has been done to tackle the most serious violence of all including knife crime and violence against women and children. That is 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 and local communities the support and tools they need to tackle local crime.”
