The Crime and Policing Bill will be brought before Parliament today, promising stronger protections for retail workers and a tougher stance on shoplifting. It includes new measures the government says will “give workers in shops up and down the country the protection they need.”

It places significant focus on protecting high streets, scrapping the effective immunity for shop theft of goods below £200. In addition, it confirms assault on retail workers as a separate criminal offence.

The government pledged in its autumn statement that a separate offence for assaulting shop workers would be introduced. The idea was initially floated in January 2024.

In October, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed a record number of shoplifting offences in the year to June 2024, marking an increase of 29% compared to the previous year.

Government recommits to tackling shoplifting with more police

Almost half a million (469,788) shoplifting offences were recorded between July 2023 and June 2024, compared to 365,173 in the previous year. This constitutes a shoplifting rate of 8 incidents per 1,000 people in the most recent recordings.

“Neighbourhood crime like theft, shop theft and antisocial behaviour is not “low-level”, it has serious consequences for local business and community safety,” the Home Office said in a statement. “That is why the new Bill will introduce Respect Orders to ban prolific antisocial behaviour offenders from our town centres and communities”.

Shoplifting increases by 29%

Extra police resources included in new Crime and Policing Bill

The new laws will be backed up by the recruitment of 13,000 extra neighbourhood policing roles.

The bill will “support the police to act swiftly in the ‘golden hour’ of investigations. This is particularly crucial for investigations into theft, helping to provide swifter seizures of stolen property and providing a better service to victims,” a government press release said.

Other new powers to combat theft include the ability to seize stolen goods tracked through electronic devices, like mobile phones or vehicles, within the ‘golden hour’ of investigation.

New Respect Orders will allow police to act more quickly against antisocial behaviour. This includes repeat offenders who negatively impact town centres and retail environments.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We strongly welcome the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill, which we hope will send a clear message that shop theft and assaults on retailers will be taken seriously by both the police and the justice system.”

“People running and working in shops deserve to be treated with respect, and we believe this bill takes important steps toward that goal,” he added.

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