Town Centre Safety

The hon. Member highlights the rise in criminal damage and violent incidents towards shopworkers, emphasising that these issues have increased substantially over recent years. He advocates for a community policing guarantee to restore visible police presence and build trust within communities.

The hon. Member raises concerns about the challenges of resourcing and equipping police in rural areas where town centres are small and spread out, emphasising the need for practical solutions to improve policing presence.

The hon. Member asks about the difference between Labour's proposal and measures enacted under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2023 regarding offences against shop workers, seeking clarification on the proposed new specific offence.

The hon. Member agrees that there is a link between the reduction in neighbourhood officers and police community support officers since 2015, and the increase in shoplifting incidents, criticising the government for promoting citizen's arrests rather than addressing crime causes.

The hon. Member expresses concerns about police presence and security in rural areas of Scotland, highlighting that there are only six officers for a large county area, emphasising the need for better policing resources.

The hon. Member agrees on the importance of protecting shop workers and stopping shoplifting but also highlights the issue of poverty in communities leading to desperation among people, suggesting that tackling poverty is essential alongside crime reduction measures.

The hon. Member supports the need for more police community support officers as they build long-term relationships with communities, advocating for increased numbers of these officers alongside more general police.

The hon. Member questions Labour's previous decisions on reopening police stations and criticises their lack of policing in certain areas, highlighting the negative impact this has had on community safety.

Ms Farris argues that crime rates have fallen significantly since 2010, with overall crime levels down by more than 50%, violent crimes down by 52%, and theft almost halved. She highlights the increase in police numbers to historic highs of 149,566 as of March 2023, and mentions the Government's investment in the police uplift programme which has increased local policing roles by 6.5% over a year. Ms Farris also emphasises the Government’s funding of £17.2 billion for frontline policing, noting that it is an increase from last year with an extra £550 million. She discusses the safer streets fund and StreetSafe app to improve community safety, and refutes claims of complacency towards shoplifting and assault on retail workers by pointing out existing laws and their enforcement.

Mr Ellwood intervenes to pay tribute to the work of police officers, acknowledging their daily sacrifices in serving society. He urges all parties to recognise the important role of police in maintaining public safety.

Mr McMahon questions the Minister's assertion that there is no policy against responding to shoplifting cases below £200, citing an example where the police did not attend 76% of reports of abuse and violence in shops. He highlights a statistic from the Co-op Group which reported over 300,000 incidents of abuse and violence towards shop workers.

Ms Phillips asks the Minister for per capita police figures to better understand the distribution of police resources across different areas.

Mr Rodda recognises support for Thames Valley Police and raises concerns about the training status of new recruits, noting that while officers have been recruited, many are still in training rather than on the frontline. He highlights the issue as particularly serious in Reading.

Mr Stafford thanks the Minister for additional funding allocated to South Yorkshire Police for addressing antisocial behaviour hotspots, noting positive impacts observed in his constituency areas of Maltby and Dinnington.

Mr Sheerman critiques the language used by the Government regarding their approach to dealing with criminals. He expresses concern over joint enterprise laws, citing cases where young individuals have received long sentences for crimes they did not physically commit.

Discussed the challenges faced by Halifax, including knife-related crimes and antisocial behaviour. Mentioned research showing 355 arrests for knife-related crimes in Calderdale between August 2020 and September 2021, highlighting the impact on victims and community safety. Emphasised the need for Government action to reverse trends of criminality. Paid tribute to local initiatives like Pubwatch and police officers working towards safer towns. Highlighted a decline in neighbourhood policing teams and poor morale among police due to unfair pay cuts. Called attention to high levels of abuse, threats, and violence faced by retail workers, citing record-level shoplifting and detection rate drops.

Highlights the importance of debating high street issues, focusing on crime and antisocial behaviour as deterrents to shopping. He mentions local policing efforts in his constituency, noting a significant increase in police officers. Tom also addresses retail worker safety, welcoming the Government's retail crime action plan and new specialist police team Pegasus. He appreciates the investment made through the safer streets fund in Netherfield and Colwick to reduce crime and improve street safety. Critically, he advises against creating new offences for existing laws.

Discusses the decline of town centres due to bank closures, loss of shops, pubs, public sector jobs, HMRC offices, DWP offices, theatres, cultural services, conversions to substandard accommodation, lack of beneficial ownership register, business rates tax, cut bus routes, crime and antisocial behaviour. Emphasises the need for protective measures for shop workers.

Intervenes to support the development of banking hubs in towns like Stone following the loss of Lloyds bank. Suggests that banking hubs should be rolled out across many more towns.

Intervenes to highlight how the reduction in public services impacts police forces, with examples such as prolonged A&E visits involving multiple shift changes of police officers.

Committed the debate, highlighting recent antisemitic incidents and their impact on Jewish communities. He provided examples of discriminatory actions against Jewish individuals, including buses failing to stop for them and verbal abuse at bus stops and train stations. Cited a 60-year-old boycott incident in Bristol as a historical precedent for addressing racial discrimination. Emphasised the severity of recent antisemitic incidents with statistics: 1,747 reported over 54 days between Hamas attacks and last Wednesday, setting a record since the Community Security Trust's establishment in 1984. Demanded immediate action from authorities to address these issues.

Ms. McKinnell addressed the issue of rising crime and the decline in confidence towards policing, particularly focusing on shoplifting and its impact on small businesses. She highlighted that there was a 44% increase in shoplifting across Northumbria last year and cited statistics showing seven out of ten retail workers had been abused within the past twelve months, with nearly half having faced threats of physical violence and over one in ten physically assaulted. Ms. McKinnell stressed the importance of addressing the funding cuts to policing that have led to a reduction in neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs since 2010, leaving Northumbria short by 427 officers compared to pre-2010 levels. She also emphasised the need for adequate resourcing of policing to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, thereby ensuring community safety.

For those participating in the debate, keeping town centres safe is enormously important, covering various concerns such as public disorder, serious violence on streets, antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, and violence associated with it. The motion proposes a new offence for violence against shopworkers but Mayhew argues that section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 already deals with assaults on those providing public services, including shopworkers, making any additional legislation unnecessary. He criticises Labour's initiative as an eye-catching move rather than a serious legislative change.

Hopkins acknowledges the importance of safety for everyone but argues that Conservative policies have led to town centre decline, resulting in high crime rates and increased antisocial behaviour. She highlights a 25% surge in national shoplifting incidents over the past year, causing significant abuse against shop workers, as shown by USDAW's survey results where two-thirds of retail workers reported suffering from customer abuse. Hopkins supports USDAW’s Freedom From Fear campaign and Labour's plan to increase protections for shop workers through tougher sentences for attacks. She also discusses Luton Borough Council's initiatives in improving town centre safety.

Ellwood highlights the importance of keeping town centres safe, noting that they have changed significantly due to digitalisation and global economic shocks. He advocates for reinvigorating a sense of purpose for town centres in the modern age and addresses concerns over knife crime, which has increased by 75% in the last decade. He suggests initiatives such as violence reduction units and metal-detection systems at nightclubs to tackle this issue. Ellwood also praises police numbers being at record levels but acknowledges tough financial decisions that led to reductions previously.

Edwards raises concerns about high-street shoplifting and its impact on retailers, noting that many shops are unable to recoup costs of stolen goods. She highlights the violence faced by retail workers, with 70% suffering verbal abuse, 49% receiving threats of violence, and nearly 8% physically assaulted annually. Edwards supports Labour's community policing initiative, which includes expanding neighbourhood policing and introducing a specific offence for assaulting shop workers to ensure their safety.

Ms Aiken welcomed the debate on town centre safety, emphasising concerns about shoplifting in high streets like Oxford Street and Marylebone. She highlighted the need for local police action to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime, citing a 11% increase in crimes under Mayor Sadiq Khan's tenure. She also expressed disappointment at the lack of additional police officers despite funding from the Government and called for a zero-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour. Ms Aiken stressed the importance of neighbourhood policing and encouraged public reporting of crime via social media.

Mr Turner intervened, questioning whether Nickie Aiken should support Labour’s motion regarding more police officers if she advocates for increased police presence in her constituency.

The Member emphasises the importance of community safety in town centres, citing examples such as Roger’s Bakery and Cross Keys pub in his constituency. He highlights a rise in neighbourhood offences and shoplifting while the charging of offences has decreased, leaving businesses, customers, and communities feeling vulnerable. Strathern calls for increased investment in neighbourhood policing, creation of new offences to protect shopworkers, and better youth provision options.

Mr. Gullis praised the Government's recruitment of police officers, mentioning that 333 new officers are being recruited for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. He highlighted the success of antisocial behaviour hotspot funding in reducing antisocial behaviour by 20%. Mr. Gullis discussed his efforts to secure safer streets funding for Tunstall, emphasising its importance for community safety. He criticised a Labour council member's passive-aggressive approach during a meeting about funding and emphasised that Conservatives are delivering on the priorities of their local area. He mentioned the need for further investment in Cobridge due to an increase in neighbourhood crime and praised the new Staffordshire community policing model introduced under Chief Constable Chris Noble, noting improvements in CCTV monitoring. Mr. Gullis also criticised Labour's approach to policing, warning against 'woke' policies that might undermine effective law enforcement.

The hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley criticises the current Government's approach to policing, highlighting that police officers' pay has declined by 17% in real terms and citing personal experiences with cabbies who are also Metropolitan Police sergeants driving on their days off due to financial constraints. She emphasises the reality of under-resourced policing against what she perceives as fantasy presented by the Government. She recounts a security guard from B&Q reporting daily thefts that go unreported because police are too busy and adds that vulnerable individuals in exempt accommodation often face repeated police call-outs due to lack of regulation, which is also government responsibility. She argues that mental health service degradation forces police officers into roles they should not be fulfilling, illustrating with the example of an officer sitting for 24 hours with a person suffering from suicide ideations.

Mr. Brereton spoke about the importance of keeping town centres safe, acknowledging that crime has halved since 2010 but stressing the need for more than just increasing police numbers. He highlighted issues such as antisocial behaviour, drug misuse, and problems with temporary accommodation in Longton, which had seen a significant number of incidents. He also called for the reclassification of monkey dust from class B to class A due to its damaging effects on communities. Additionally, he mentioned his private Member's Bill aimed at ensuring local authorities have a duty to review high street conditions and develop action plans.

Leadbeater detailed her collaboration with West Yorkshire Police and highlighted issues such as dangerous driving, crime, and antisocial behaviour in Batley and Spen. She emphasised the importance of involving local people in setting policing priorities and called for tough new sentencing guidelines for assaults on retail workers, stronger police action against shoplifting, and zero-tolerance zones in town centres to address antisocial behaviour.

The safety of the Ipswich town centre is a major concern for constituents, with issues such as knife attacks and antisocial behaviour reported. Tom Hunt highlights the need for increased police presence, zero-tolerance policies towards antisocial behaviour, dispersing groups causing disturbances, tougher punishments for shoplifting, and addressing concerns about online retail, empty units, business rates, and car-parking charges imposed by the Labour council. According to his survey of nearly 1,000 responses, constituents overwhelmingly support a tough stance on antisocial behaviour (91% agreed) and dispersing large groups in town centres (88%).

The Opposition closes the debate by addressing issues such as rising violent crimes, retail crime, and assaults on shop workers. It highlights challenges faced by businesses due to bank closures, pub closures, high business rates, and a cost of living crisis. The speech also criticises the Government's inaction and lack of leadership, emphasising Labour’s commitment to halve serious and violent crime within a decade. Furthermore, it calls for increased focus on crime prevention and addressing issues like knife crime through police reform and mental health support in schools.

The hon. Member referenced the actual situation faced by many town centres across the UK, highlighting issues with knife crime and rising serious violent crimes.

The right hon. Member mentioned concerns about safety in town centres, including rising serious violent crimes.

My hon. Friend spoke about the Protect the Protectors campaign and highlighted the need to protect first responders and shop workers.

The Member referenced challenges faced by local high streets, including bank closures, pub closures, rising business rates, and a cost of living crisis.

The hon. Member for Croydon South acknowledges the importance of the retail community to UK town centres, highlighting a significant reduction in crime since 2010 under the current Government. He points out that all crime as measured by the Office for National Statistics fell by 10% in the past year and by 56% since 2010. The Member also discusses shoplifting, antisocial behaviour, and police numbers, emphasising actions such as the retail crime action plan to tackle these issues.