Labour’s Claire Hughes has welcomed tough new action on antisocial behaviour and town centre
crime for the people of North Wales.
The Labour Government has this week introduced a raft of measures including brand new Respect Orders and action against shoplifting, as part of its flagship Crime and Policing Bill.
Respect Orders – promised in Labour’s 2024 manifesto and delivered in this new legislation – will enable swift enforcement against persistent antisocial behaviour offenders.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s Bill also includes action on shoplifting, including introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker.
Labour will also scrap the Tory ‘shoplifter’s charter’, a law which deprioritised the theft of goods under £200, something which retailers in towns like Llandudno have repeatedly called for.
In 2023, Conservative Policing Minister Chris Philp was roundly mocked when he urged members of the public to make citizen’s arrests on those they witnessed shoplifting.
Labour’s bill will also give the police new powers to enter premises without a warrant, enabling the police to search and seize stolen property swiftly which they believe is at an address. Labour’s action comes as the number of snatch thefts last year reached 85,000 across England and Wales.
The new measures will be supported by the government’s plan to recruit 13,000
additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing
roles over the course of this Parliament.
Claire Hughes, Labour MP for Bangor Aberconwy said:
“After fourteen years of Conservative rule, our town centres are plagued by anti-social behaviour. Businesses and residents in places like Bangor and Llandudno will wholeheartedly welcome the
tough new action included in Labour’s bill. Whether it’s street drinking, harassment or vandalism on the high street or noisy and intimidating off-road bikes, my constituents are fed up.
“Antisocial behaviour chips away at our communities’ confidence and pride, undermines
local businesses and can have a devastating impact on victims. My constituents will welcome the introduction of tough new Respect Orders, and Government action on shoplifting cannot come soon enough.”
“The flagship Crime and Policing Bill is a vital step towards the safer streets promised in
this Government’s Plan for Change.”
