The UK Government’s Crime and Policing Bill represents an extensive package of measures on crime and policing, with 50 new laws to cut crime and make streets safer and has been welcomed by Wrexham MP Andrew Ranger.
Labour want to tackle antisocial behaviour, shop theft and street crime, giving the police and communities new powers to create safer town centres. The Bill also includes measures to address the most serious violence and highest-harm offences such as knife crime, violence against women and girls, cybercrime, child sexual abuse, and terrorism.
The Bill will treat violence against women and girls as a national emergency, with tougher action against perpetrators and better protection for victims including strengthening Stalking Protection Orders and introducing a new criminal offence for spiking.
The Government will implement a recommendation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation by creating a new duty to report child sexual abuse, as well as increased sentencing for those who organise child grooming. The Bill will also introduce a new offence of child criminal exploitation, alongside a civil preventative order designed to stop the horrific exploitation of children by criminals. By making cuckooing a specific offence, the most vulnerable people whose homes are used by others to commit criminal activity will be protected.
Respect Orders will target the most serious and persistent adult ASB offenders with tough consequences. For the first time the police, councils and social landlords will all have the power to tackle persistent troublemakers. Police will have immediate powers of arrest for those who breach Respect Orders. Courts will have the power to impose unlimited fines or prison sentences for those who continue to flout the law. Wrexham has seen a rise in ASB in the latest crime figures published by UK Crime Stats and these measures will support North Wales Police in the work they are already doing to tackle this.
Andrew Ranger MP said “We are all proud of our high streets and neighbourhoods, but they have been blighted by anti-social behaviour that was enabled and deemed inconsequential by the previous Government who also cut police numbers. It is consistently something that is brought up with me on the doorstep when I speak with residents, and they want to see it sorted. I welcome the Crime and Policing Bill as it sends a clear message in saying no more to so called ‘low level’ crime, no more to criminal actions without consequences and backs our businesses and police officers taking the tough action that is needed to tackle antisocial behaviour and theft on our streets.”
