In a significant move under the government’s new crime and policing bill, police in England and Wales will soon be able to search properties without a warrant for stolen phones and other electronically geotagged items. This change, aimed at cracking down on theft, is just one element of a broader set of measures included in the bill, which will be introduced to parliament on Tuesday.
The proposed changes will empower police to act quickly if a stolen item is traced to a location using mobile signals, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or tracking devices like Apple’s AirTag. This means that if, for instance, someone uses the “find my phone” feature to locate a stolen device at a specific address, officers could enter the property without waiting for a court-issued warrant. The government argues this would allow police to recover stolen goods swiftly during the critical “golden hour” of an investigation.
This measure, which primarily targets theft and antisocial behaviour, could also apply to other stolen items, such as vehicles or farm equipment, that are geolocated. The bill is largely aimed at addressing lower-level offences, including shoplifting, assaults on retail workers, and the abuse of vulnerable people in crime networks.
Alongside this, the bill includes a range of provisions aimed at tightening laws around antisocial behaviour, including the creation of “respect orders” that could imprison people for up to two years if they repeatedly engage in disruptive behaviour. New powers for police will also allow them to seize off-road vehicles used antisocially, and shoplifting will no longer be automatically treated as a less serious crime for items worth under £200.
Other key aspects of the bill include making drink spiking a specific offence, expanding access to DVLA records for law enforcement, and criminalising the act of making explicit images of someone without their consent. The bill also seeks to address child exploitation, introducing a duty for certain professionals to report instances of abuse, as recommended by the Alexis Jay report on child abuse gangs.
The bill will be introduced in the Commons on Tuesday, where it will undergo its first reading.
In her announcement, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper highlighted the focus on tackling street crime and antisocial behaviour, particularly in town centres, where rising crime has been a persistent issue. She stated, “For too long communities have had to put up with rising town centre and street crime… and that is why the new crime and policing bill is about taking back our streets, restoring respect for law and order, and giving the police and local communities the support they need to tackle local crime.”
