Earlier this week the UK Government introduced the Crime and Policing Bill in Parliament. The Bill, which is central to the government’s Plan for Change and Safer Streets mission, now begins its journey to becoming law, and it will also include measures to address the highest-harm crimes impacting society, such as knife crime, violence against women and girls, cyber crime, child sexual abuse, and terrorism.
As part of these new measures police will be given enhanced powers against theft of mobile phones – no longer needing a warrant to search properties where stolen items have been electronically geolocated.
Under the new warrantless powers of entry, officers will be able to enter premises identified by electronic mapping if stolen items are believed to be there and it is not practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This can be done through a ‘find my phone’ app, WiFi access points, Bluetooth, mobile network technology or tracking devices attached to any other possession or vehicle.
It will support the police to act swiftly in the ‘golden hour’ of investigations, which is particularly crucial for investigations into theft, helping to provide swifter seizures of stolen property and providing a better service to victims.
The Bill places significant focus on protecting high streets. The effective immunity for shop theft of goods below £200 will be scrapped and retail workers will be better protected from assault.
Asda Chief Commercial Officer (Non-food and Retail), Liz Evans, said, “The Crime and Policing Bill is a major step forward, which builds on the measures that this government has already introduced to deliver the Safer Streets mission. Recent interventions, like the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will help us to directly tackle two significant challenges that we are facing as a business – incidences of assault and shoplifting are daily challenges across our estate, which have a devastating impact on colleagues and customers.”
Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services at Mitie also commented on the Crime and Policing Bill’s clampdown on retail crime. “Those in the industry know that retail crime is never victimless, with a shocking rise in organised crime, prolific offending and assaults on retail workers involving weapons. Too many have suffered and have been left with long lasting scars that persist even after their injuries have healed. The introduction of the assault of a retail worker as a standalone offence is long overdue and must become a reality as soon as possible so we finally start to see punishments that fit the crime and drive not just safer retail environments but safer communities in which we work and live.
When we think of retail workers, we often overlook the security officers who strive to safeguard colleagues and customers within stores every day and it’s important that they are also included within this offence. Disturbingly, retail security officers also face injuries daily as they fulfil their duties, with a total of 968 incidents in 2024 resulting in physical harm to our security personnel alone. In today’s working world it’s hard to think of another environment where this would be tolerated.”
“If we are to take a zero-tolerance approach to retail crime with the necessary justice system in place, all parts of the industry must be considered and must remain united. As the Bill moves through Parliament, Retailers, Security Businesses and Law Enforcement must maintain a collaborative approach and start to improve troubling statistics themselves with data and technology as enablers. Valuable footage captured by security officers using body-worn cameras and the formal data-sharing agreements established between retailers and the police are already starting to lead to convictions. With harsher sentences coming into play, these tools and strategies are essential for apprehending offenders and ensuring that proof is captured so they can face appropriate legal consequences,” concluded Towse.
