Over 50 new laws announced today including police raiding homes without a warrant
by Dave Burke · ChronicleLiveToday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has made a staunch commitment to "take back our town centres from antisocial behaviour, thugs and thieves", heralding one of the most significant overhauls in policing for years. With more than 50 fresh crime-fighting legislations set to be revealed, one revolutionary provision will grant police the power to storm residences without warrants where tech evidence indicates the presence of stolen items, including mobile phones.
The ambitious Crime and Policing Bill, eagerly anticipated, is also slated to tackle shoplifting head-on and introduce new Respect Orders echoing the former ASBOs.
In a move to counter crimes that intimidate citizens, the Home Secretary declared: "We will never write off the crimes that make people scared to go out."
Among the measures is the criminalisation of drink spiking, reinforcing the Government's campaign against violence targeting women and girls, and bolstering existing laws against stalking.
Furthermore, the proposed Bill aims to hit hard against gangs recruiting youths by potentially subjecting them to a decade-long stint in prison for such exploitations. Another provision enables the confiscation and destruction of hazardous knives on private premises and permits law enforcement to seize vehicles, such as off-road bikes and e-scooters, with no prior warning necessary, reports the Mirror.
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Parliament will also be introduced today to new regulations enabling the police to swiftly respond to thefts involving traces of geotechnology. The novel, warrantless authority would allow for raids on properties identified through electronic mapping as storing pilfered goods.
According to the Government, these new measures will facilitate the crucial "golden hour" in investigations, allowing for quicker seizure of stolen property. Ms Cooper noted: "For the last few years, our towns and cities have seen street theft shoot up, as organised gangs have been targeting mobile phones."
However, victims often feel frustrated when they can track their stolen phone's location but no action is taken.
To address this, Ms Cooper stated: "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."
The initiative follows disturbing statistics revealing over one million reports of antisocial behaviour to the police in the year leading up to September. Labour's proposed Respect Orders, modelled after ASBOs, aim to grant police and councils increased authority to bar troublemakers from town centres and mandate participation in rehabilitation services, with non-compliance resulting in a criminal offence.
John Hayward-Cripps, chief of Neighbourhood Watch, applauded the new measures, citing years of neglect under Conservative rule. He commented: "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."
This was part of a wider discussion on the new Bill from the Home Office, which aims to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) as the "national emergency" it is.
The legislation will empower police to disclose the identities of online stalkers to their victims, a move championed by former Coronation Street actress Nicola Thorp, who suffered two years of harassment from an unknown individual. The Government has committed to halving VAWG within ten years, a promise mirrored in its approach to knife crime, following over 55,000 reported incidents in England and Wales within a year.
The Bill includes tougher penalties for selling knives to under-18s, with sentences increasing from six months to two years. Possession of a knife with intent to harm could lead to imprisonment for up to four years, as the Government seeks to curb this lethal trend.
Additionally, the Government plans to repeal a Conservative policy that discourages prosecution of shop thefts valued under £200, a rule retailers blame for a worrying increase in thefts - nearly half a million reported in the year to September, a rise of 23%.
The Bill also fulfils pledges to combat the use of AI in creating explicit images and videos of children, and to outlaw 'paedophile manuals' that instruct abusers on such heinous acts. It will also criminalise the failure to report child sexual abuse.
The proposed legislation will also make it illegal to capture or record intimate images or videos without consent. A legal loophole allowing sex offenders to change their names will be closed.
Probation services will gain enhanced powers to administer polygraph tests on sex offenders and terrorists. .
Key provisions in the Bill include:
Antisocial behaviour
New ASBO-style Respect Orders will empower police and councils to exclude repeat offenders from town centres and direct them towards rehabilitation services. Non-compliance will constitute a criminal offence. Police will have the authority to confiscate vehicles, including off-road bikes and e-scooters, without prior notice.
Knife crime
Police will have the power to seize and destroy dangerous knives found on private property. The maximum penalty for selling them to under-18s will increase from six months to two years. A new criminal offence will be introduced for possessing a blade with the intent to cause harm, carrying a sentence of up to four years.
Retail crime
A new offence of assaulting a shop worker will be established. The Bill will also eliminate a Tory loophole which categorises retail theft of goods worth less than £200 as a summary offence. Businesses argue this is contributing to a surge in incidents and emboldening organised shoplifting gangs.
Exploitation
A fresh offence of child criminal exploitation is set to be introduced, aimed at tackling gangs that enlist children. Additionally, a new offence known as 'cuckooing' will be established, which involves commandeering the home of a vulnerable individual for illicit activities. The Bill also broadens the existing offence of exposure and introduces a new child abduction offence.
Violence against women and girls
New offences will make it illegal to take or record intimate images or videos without consent. A new offence of spiking will be introduced, and stalking protection orders will be bolstered. Police will also gain increased powers to disclose the identity of online stalkers to their victims.
Police powers
Warrants will no longer be required for police to search properties where electronically tracked stolen items such as mobile phones have been located. The powers of the police to manage registered sex offenders will be revamped, including the ability to alter their name. Probation services will also gain the ability to administer polygraph tests to criminals who have committed sexual or terrorism-related crimes.
Protests
The possession of fireworks, flares, and other pyrotechnics will be prohibited at protests. A new offence will be created to criminalise climbing on specified war memorials. Wearing face coverings at police-designated protests will be banned.
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