Andrew Sharman thought leadership piece on Crime and Police Bill 2025

The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 is a comprehensive piece of legislation currently under consideration in the UK Parliament. Introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2025, the bill aims to address various aspects of crime, policing, and public safety. The debate encompassed various aspects of the bill, including its potential impact on neighbourhood policing and measures to combat anti-social behaviour.

For members of the Institute of Place Management, understanding the bill’s potential impact is crucial. How will new policing powers shape the way we manage high streets and town centres? What role can place leaders play in ensuring these measures enhance, rather than hinder, local regeneration and community cohesion?

To explore these questions further, and ahead of the Bill moving to Committee Stage on 27 March 2025, we’ve invited Andrew Sharman to share his perspective on what these changes could mean for place managers, civic leaders, and local authorities. Andrew will also be joining us for an upcoming IPM webinar on town centre safety, where we will examine international approaches to creating safer public spaces.

As the Crime and Policing Bill makes its way through the various legislative stages, it’s timely to consider some of the fundamental elements within it and the potential implications it has for those of us in the place making community. The Bill is this government’s continuation of legislation proposed by the previous Conservative government, which either speaks to the importance of the contents within it or the shifting of Labour towards ground previously held by the Conservatives for those of us fascinated by politics. Either way, given the majority held by Labour, this Bill will become Law very soon and we’re going to deal with it anyway. 

The first measure within it that we should consider is the poorly named Respect Orders. Why do I think the branding is wrong? There’s almost an Ali G aspect to a Respect Order, a badge of honour amongst the cohort we’re targeting and I just wish policymakers would think a little deeper when creating these things.

Grumbles about the name aside, this could be an interesting piece of legislation for placemakers. Whereas Criminal Behaviour Orders currently are attached post conviction, the Respect Orders won’t be. It will be more of a civil injunction but one with the power of arrest associated with it. These might be particularly useful in targeting street attached or disaffected youth whose behaviour is problematic for a community but are more of a nuisance factor than full blown criminal activity. 

The orders can be applied for by police, councils and housing providers so it provides a range of options for partnership working with placemakers to prevent disorder from negatively impacting on the areas we have a responsibility for.

Knife crime is sadly something we’re all having to face in our places and the Bill proposes some new measures to address this problem. Improved police powers to seize such items will be useful but the key elements for me are the increased penalties for those selling dangerous items and the new offence of possession of a blades item with the intent to cause harm. Hopefully the increased penalties will act as a deterrent to UK based suppliers but given so many of these items are sadly purchased online and from overseas, it’s difficult to see that having much of an impact of the supply of these horrific items to our communities.

A much fanfared element of the Bill is the new law concerning the Assault of Retail Workers, note that this doesn’t extend to security staff or hospitality workers, has been lauded as some miracle cure for the intolerable levels of abuse and violence being faced in the retail sector. The sad reality is this- the type of folk who are committing these offences won’t stop and think “ohhh, there’s a standalone offence for what I’m about to do, I better not”. If we struggle to enforce existing laws around assault or use assault as an aggravating factor in the execution of a crime now, what material difference will this new law make other than a performative gesture to give the appearance of action? I fear very little at all. 

Other elements of the Bill focus on child sexual offences and violence against women and girls, including the introduction of “Spiking” as a stand alone offence. This will be one that our hospitality businesses will need to be aware of, particularly around supporting victims within their premises and securing evidence to assist with successful prosecutions. New Public Order elements are incorporated which will prohibit the covering of one’s face at protests, banning pyrotechnics at protests, and introducing an offence of climbing on specified war memorials- all of which will be particularly relevant to place makers. 

The repealing of the much maligned Section 174 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime, and Policing Act 2014 is one of those ones that is a source of real aggravation for me. The spin of it being an end to the £200 limit on retail theft thereby ending police inaction is one of the worst myths perpetuated throughout the media. Section 174 merely was a tool to alleviate demands on Crown Courts meaning offences under £200 would only be dealt with by Magistrates instead. In order for those cases to be heard by Magistrates, police would still have to attend (which they did) “low value” thefts. The idea that it meant police would no longer attend such incidents was sadly circulated by opportunistic politicians and journalists trying to push their agenda and was exacerbated by a section of officers who were looking to not have the responsibility to deal with an offender.

This was further enabled poor communications within the retail sector as the business would have been well in their right to push back when faced with such a situation. This was never a “shoplifter’s charter” rather an urban myth everyone allowed to permeate throughout public consciousness. Repealing it will mean very little beyond the fact that thieves stealing below £200 will again be able to have their cases heard by the Crown Court. Therefore, there’s likely to be little in the way of outcomes from this decision as we’ve not addressed the material conditions that are driving these kinds of crimes in the first instance. 

Until we have tackled inequalities in our society, improved our approach to managing alcohol and drug dependencies, found better ways to manage the mental health crisis, and built a more cohesive society then the challenges we face are likely to continue as they have done for decades to come in our places

About the author

Andrew Sharman

Andrew Sharman has spent over twenty years working in the world of place making partnerships, primarily focused on issues of safety and security. He is widely regarded as an authority on business crime reduction partnerships and has worked with a wide range of BIDs, Councils, Police and PCCs to build effective and compliant communities.

Andrew will be speaking at out event on town centre safety on July 8th. IPM members can register to attend free of charge: https://www.placemanagement.org/events/