People who have tracked the location of their stolen mobile phones, laptops or bikes can expect swifter police action under new measures to be introduced to parliament today.
In a drive to tackle street crimes, officers will no longer need a warrant to enter a premises where stolen items have been electronically located, such as through a phone-tracking app or Bluetooth.
A police inspector will be able to sign off entry to a premises, rather than waiting for a judge or magistrate, in order to act during the “golden hour” just after a theft and increase the chances of a conviction, ministers said.
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It is one of a number of new powers in the Crime and Policing Bill, set to become law later this year, to address what the home secretary has called an “extremely frustrating” situation for victims of crime.
“Snatch thefts” of mobile phones and bags have more than doubled in the past year, with more than 200 incidents a day in 2024, according to Home Office figures. Just 0.8% of these thefts led to a charge, despite some victims offering police evidence from tracking devices.
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“For the last few years, our towns and cities have seen street theft shoot up, as organised gangs have been targeting mobile phones,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
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“But it is extremely frustrating for victims when they can see exactly where their stolen phone has gone but nothing is done. That is why we are determined to give the police the powers they need to move fast to crack down on these crimes that are blighting our communities.”
The powers will also apply to police retrieving stolen vehicles, tools or tractors which are geolocated. It comes alongside tougher measures for people in possession of signal jammers used to steal keyless cars, which would be punishable by up to five years in prison
The bill is a major update to existing crime legislation, with new measures to tackle knife crime, violence against women and girls, cyber crime, child sexual abuse and terrorism.
However, there are questions about how officers will have the capacity to attend to thousands of cases of stolen phones, with the government still planning to recruit an extra 13,000 community police officers as promised at the election.
Ministers have also proposed specific new criminal offences in the bill, for assaulting a shopworker – carrying a maximum sentence of six months; “cuckooing”, in which a vulnerable person’s home is used for illegal activities such as drug dealing; and climbing on war memorials. Other new crimes include spiking and using AI to produce child sexual abuse material.
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The bill enshrines respect orders, which are already being piloted, to restrict the movement of people who persistently cause harm in their communities – with those who breach them to be charged with a criminal offence.
They are similar to the anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) introduced under the last Labour government but with requirements such as attending anger management courses as well as prohibitions.
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An impact assessment of how these new offences will affect the overstretched prisons crisis will not be immediately published.
The home secretary 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.
“That is why the new Crime and Policing Bill is about taking back our streets and town centres, restoring respect for law and order, and giving the police and local communities the support and tools they need to tackle local crime.”
