UK introduces enhanced police powers to tackle anti-social and street crimes News
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UK introduces enhanced police powers to tackle anti-social and street crimes

The UK government on Tuesday revealed new flagship policing measures to be introduced in parliament, aimed at addressing anti-social crimes and street crimes, in what it deems as the “biggest legislative update to policing in decades.” The new Crime and Policing Bill is part of a broader government initiative to address community safety.

The government says that the bill will address “knife crime, violence against women and girls, child sexual abuse, and terrorism”, as well as shop theft, phone theft, and anti-social behavior. The bill forms part of the government’s new “Safer Streets mission” and “Plan for Change.” In December 2024, the government announced that communities “can expect a visible and responsive policing presence” as part of the Plan for Change, which aims to reinstall public confidence in the police.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

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.

The bill will remove effective immunity for shop theft below £200 ($253,09), enhance protection of retail workers from assault, and repeat offenders of antisocial behaviors may be banned from town centers under “Respect Orders”. Face coverings will no longer be permitted at protests. Notably, the bill will make drink-spiking a criminal offense, and prevent registered sex offenders from changing their names if they remain a threat. It will also introduce a legal duty to report child sexual abuse.

The bill also empowers the police to enter premises without a warrant if a stolen device has been traced to that premises through electronic mapping. The government says that the warrantless powers of entry serve to allow for swifter action against theft and “better service to victims”. Police powers of entry are currently outlined under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code B, which stipulates that:

1.3 The right to privacy and respect for personal property are key principles of the Human Right Act 1998. Powers of entry, search and seizure should be fully and clearly justified before use because they may significantly interfere with the occupier’s privacy. Officers should consider if the necessary objectives can be met by less intrusive means.

The bill had its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday in the House of Commons. To be enacted in law, it must progress to the House of Lords for three stages of reading before receiving Royal Assent.

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