The Crime and Policing Bill, which will also introduce harsher penalties for shoplifting of items under £200, will be put before parliament on Tuesday.
It contains a raft of measures set out in the Labour manifesto. This includes “Respect Orders”, which are reminiscent of the Anti-social Behaviour Orders introduced by the last Labour government before being abolished in 2014.
Existing laws deprioritise shoplifting theft under £200, making it a summary-only offence. This means cases can only be heard in Magistrates’ courts.
Retailers across the country face approximately 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse per day, according to the latest figures from the BRC, which also estimated that the cost of crime is £4.2bn per year, when measures to tackle it including CCTV and bodycams are included.
Rules requiring retailers to report any bulk or “suspicious” knife purchases to the police, as well as more rigorous age verification checks were announced last week. These will be added as the bill goes through parliament.
The Crime and Policing Bill will mostly apply in England and Wales.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “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.”
The Home Office is aiming to use £200m to recruit 13,000 new neighbourhood officers by 2029. It comes as several police forces have warned of budgetary pressures, including the Metropolitan Police, which said it is facing a £260m shortfall.
Currys chief operating officer Lindsay Haselhurst commented: “The level of violence and crime our colleagues regularly face is unacceptable, and we hope these new powers for police will go some way in addressing that.”
No comments yet