New offence of assaulting a retail worker among Crime and Policing Act measures
A package of new crime laws affecting town centres, retailers, vulnerable adults and online knife sales received Royal Assent this week, with North Wales Police set to operate the new powers across Flintshire.
The Crime and Policing Act creates more than 70 new measures across England and Wales.
Most will come into force in stages over the coming months as commencement orders are issued.
Among the headline changes is a new Respect Order, which will give the police and courts the power to ban repeat offenders from named town centres and other locations.
The Act also creates a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, which carries a possible six-month prison sentence.
Retailers from the major supermarket to independent convenience stores in towns and villages, are covered by the new offence.
The treatment of theft of goods worth under £200 as a summary-only offence has been ended.
Until now, low-value shop theft was generally dealt with by fixed penalty notice or in the magistrates’ court only.
Under the new Act, all shop theft can be prosecuted in line with offences over £200.
A separate change removes the requirement for police to issue a warning before seizing a vehicle being used in an anti-social manner.
The Act also creates two new offences targeting the exploitation of vulnerable people.
Cuckooing, where an offender takes over a vulnerable person’s home to use it for illegal activity such as drug dealing, becomes a specific criminal offence carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence.
A standalone offence of child criminal exploitation, with a maximum 10-year sentence, is also created.
On knife crime, the Act introduces personal criminal liability for senior tech executives whose platforms fail to act on illegal knife and weapons content, with fines of up to £70,000 per offence.
Online knife purchases will require two-step photographic identification verification, both at point of sale and at delivery.
Retailers selling bladed articles online will be required to report bulk purchases.
A new offence of possession of a knife with intent to cause unlawful violence carries a sentence of up to seven years.
The Government has said the changes will be supported by a commitment to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood police officers across England and Wales by the end of the current parliament.
Minister for Crime and Policing Sarah Jones said: “This is the biggest overhaul of our crime-fighting powers in a generation. It puts policing back on the side of the public and gives officers the tools they need to tackle the problems people see on their streets every day.
“From banning repeat offenders from town centres and protecting shop workers, to cracking down on exploitative gangs and strengthening victims’ rights, this Bill is about restoring order and rebuilding confidence.”
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The new Crime and Policing Act is a long-overdue turning point in the fight against retail crime. With 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse every single day and 5.5 million thefts a year, the extraordinary levels of retail crime cannot be accepted as simply part of the job.
“Stronger laws on assault and theft will send a clear warning to would-be offenders, but laws alone won’t keep retail workers safe. What matters now is consistent, visible police enforcement so colleagues can genuinely feel safe and protected at work.”
Hetal Patel, National President of the Federation of Independent Retailers, said: “Retail crime, including violence, theft and harassment, remains a deep concern for our members.
“Theft is traumatic for shopkeepers and a social blight but also imposes a series of direct and indirect economic costs for shops in lost stock and expensive security measures, which undermine their financial viability.”
Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Too many children have had their lives ruined by criminal exploitation, forced to do terrible things, receiving criminal sentences, or even losing their lives. Some are themselves treated as adults, facing punishment instead of support, because of prejudice among professionals towards them.
“This new offence will give much-needed clarity that exploited children are victims of abuse, and I am grateful the government has accepted it must apply equally to all children.”
Most measures in the Act will be brought into force by statutory instrument over the coming months and years.
The Home Office said the changes would be supported by the Government’s neighbourhood policing guarantee.
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