A massive shake-up of the nation’s laws is going forward today with 50 new crime-fighting laws will be introduced – including a new power for police to raid homes without warrants if technology indicates there are stolen items, such as phones, inside. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper today pledged to “reclaim our town centres from antisocial behaviour, thugs and thieves” in one of the most significant policing overhauls in decades.
The long-anticipated Crime and Policing Bill will also include a crackdown on shoplifting and the establishment of new ASBO-style Respect Orders. Announcing a series of new measures, the Home Secretary stated: “We will never dismiss the crimes that make people scared to go out.”
Spiking will become a specific crime as part of the Government’s initiative to combat violence against women and girls, while anti-stalking laws will be reinforced.
The Bill will also introduce new laws targeting gangs who recruit children, imposing up to 10 years in prison for exploitation. It will grant police the authority to seize and destroy dangerous blades found on private property.
It will also permit vehicles – including off-road bikes and e-scooters – to be confiscated by officers without first issuing a warning. Scroll down to see key measures from the new Bill, reports the Mirror.
New laws presented to MPs today will also enable police to act more swiftly to tackle thefts of phones and items with geotechnology tracing. Warrantless powers mean police can raid buildings where electronic mapping shows there are stolen goods.
The Government has announced measures to aid the crucial “golden hour” in investigations and expedite the recovery of stolen property. Ms Cooper commented: “For the last few years, our towns and cities have seen street theft shoot up, as organised gangs have been targeting mobile phones.
“But it is extremely frustrating for victims when they can see exactly where their stolen phone has gone but nothing is done. That 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.”
This initiative follows concerning statistics revealing over one million reports of antisocial behaviour were filed with the police in the year leading up to September. Labour has pledged to introduce new Respect Orders, akin to ASBOs, which will empower police and councils to exclude troublemakers from town centres and mandate their participation in rehabilitation services. Non-compliance would constitute a criminal offence.
John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, has expressed support for these proposals after what he describes as years of Tory neglect. He stated: “The focus on addressing and reducing the epidemic of antisocial 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.
“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 the perception that the police do not have the resources to investigate.”
The Home Office declared last night that the comprehensive Bill will address violence against women and girls (VAWG) as the “national emergency” it truly is. Following a campaign by ex-Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp, who suffered two years of harassment from a stranger, police will now be able to disclose the identities of online stalkers to their victims.
The Government has committed to slashing VAWG by half within ten years, echoing a similar promise to reduce knife crime after over 55,000 incidents were recorded in England and Wales over a year. The Bill proposes tougher penalties for those caught selling knives to minors, increasing potential imprisonment from six months to two years.
Carrying a blade with the intention to inflict harm could lead to up to four years in prison as part of efforts to combat the surge in knife-related violence. Additionally, the Government plans to revoke a Conservative policy that has made it less likely for the police to pursue shoplifting offences valued under £200.
Retailers have attributed this rule to a worrying spike in thefts, with nearly half a million cases reported in the year leading up to September—an increase of 23%.
The Bill also delivers on promises to tackle the use of AI to create explicit pictures and videos depicting children – and ban ‘paedophile manuals’ teaching sick abusers how to do this. It will also be a criminal offence not to report child sexual abuse.
Elsewhere the Bill, when passed, will make it illegal to take or record intimate images or videos without a person’s consent. A loophole which allows sex offenders to change their name will be closed.
Probation services will also have greater powers to carry out polygraph tests on sex offenders and terrorists. Some of the key measures in the Bill include:
Antisocial behaviour
New ASBO-style Respect Orders will allow police and councils to bar repeat offenders from town centres and get them into rehabilitation services.
Failure to comply will be a criminal offence. Cops will be able to seize vehicles, including off-road bikes and e-scooters, without warning.
Knife crime
Police will be able to seize and destroy deadly knives found on private property. The maximum penalty for selling them to under-18s will rise from six months to two years.
There will also be a new criminal offence of possessing a blade with the intent to cause harm, with a sentence of up to four years.
Retail crime
There will be a new offence of assaulting a shop worker. The Bill also removes a Tory loophole which treats retail theft of goods worth less than £200 a summary offence. Businesses say this is fuelling a rise in cases and empowering organised shoplifting gangs.
Exploitation
A new law will be introduced to target child criminal exploitation, specifically aimed at gangs who recruit children. A fresh offence of cuckooing – the act of taking over a vulnerable person’s home for criminal activities – will also be established. The Bill extends the current offence of exposure and introduces a new child abduction offence.
Violence against women and girls
New laws will make it illegal to take or record intimate images or videos without consent. Spiking will become a specific offence, and stalking protection orders will be strengthened.
Police powers
Police will gain more powers to disclose the identity of online stalkers to victims. Police will no longer require warrants to search properties where electronically tracked stolen items such as phones have been located. The management of registered sex offenders by police will be reformed, including the ability to change their name. Probation services will also gain the power to polygraph test criminals who have committed sexual or terrorism-related crimes.
Protests
The possession of fireworks, flares and other pyrotechnics at protests will be banned. A new offence will be created to criminalise climbing on specified war memorials. Wearing face coverings at police-designated protests will be prohibited.