The Commons: Crime and Policing Act 2026: Public Safety or Expanding Police Power?
bob jenkins
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 received Royal Assent on April 29th, 2026 and is due to come into power on June 29th, 2026. This legislation is presented by the government as part of its ‘Safer Streets’ promise, tackling antisocial behavior, reducing knife crime, and violence against women and girls. Supporters argue that stronger policing is needed to tackle these issues and through harsher policing rules, this could allow stronger enforcement to prevent this. However, several concerns have been brought up by ministers, arguing that stronger policing tools could be harmful to marginalized minorities by the expansion of police authority and stop and searches. Critics argue that this new legislation could affect marginalized communities and further intensify debates over civil liberties.
What does the Crime and Policing Act 2026 do?
The act introduces a wide range of measures to strengthen the police force’s authority as well as local authority powers. A key focus is reducing knife crime, with stricter regulations on the possession and the sale of knives enforced. The government pledges that these new legislations will make obtaining dangerous weapons more difficult.
The Government’s Measures
Knife Crime & Antisocial Behaviour
Increasing the maximum penalties for offences relating to the sale of weapons.
Introducing a new offence of possessing a bladed article with intent to use unlawful violence.
Introducing respect orders to better enable police and others to tackle persistent antisocial behavior.
Expansion of Police Powers
Repealing section 176 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 which downgraded the police response to so-called low value shop theft.
Giving the police greater access to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency database to identify criminals
Taking tougher action on drugs through an expansion of drug testing on arrest.
Giving the police the powers they need to tackle theft by creating a new power to enter premises without a warrant to search for and seize stolen goods, such as phones located using GPS tracking technology.
Tackling Violence against Women and Girls
Giving victims of stalking the right to know the identity of the perpetrator
Introducing a new criminal offence of administering a harmful substance (including spiking)
Making grooming behavior a statutory aggravating offence
The introduction of ‘Respect Orders’ seeks to address antisocial behavior, with these orders intending to target persistent offenders whose behavior negatively affects local communities. Supporters of the new legislation argue that the introduction of this new legislation helps police tackle antisocial behavior before it escalates into more serious criminal activity.
“The nature of crime has changed considerably, and major police reform is needed to keep pace. Greater focus on and investment in police capacity, particularly neighbourhood policing, has been needed for a long time. People want to feel safe and to have greater trust in law enforcement. So it is reassuring for our members and the wider public to see that the Government is listening to these concerns and is willing to act.” - John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive of Neighbourhood Watch
Addressing knife crime rates, the Act seeks to expand police powers in order to conduct more stop and searches in order to seize weapons. Supporters of the new legislation argue that this could reduce knife and violent crimes drastically and protect the streets and vulnerable individuals.
Concerns Over Police Powers and Civil Liberties
Despite the government's justification of the Act, being a crucial tool for tackling crime, civil liberties groups and politicians have expressed concern over racial bias, particularly the new stop and search measures and the increased use of surveillance technologies that could be enforced. One area of concern is the developed use of facial recognition used to convict by police forces. Campaigners argue that some facial recognition systems have produced higher rates of misidentification for ethnic minority groups. According to reports on the Metropolitan Police’s use of facial recognition, 80% of people wrongly identified were black. Research by The National Physical Lab found false positive identification rates for Asian subjects 100 times more than that of white subjects. For Black subjects, this was around 140 times more likely. Critics argue that these findings raise crucial questions about the fairness of technologies and the accuracy of them when playing a role in law enforcement.
Concerns have also been raised about accountability within the police force. While surveillance powers expand, police are highlighted to continuously evade scrutiny, showing an “accountability gap” within the Act. Critics argue that while the act expands certain enforcement powers, it does not hold officers accountable when powers are misused. These legislative changes are increasingly shielding officers, including:
The introduction of a criminal standard of proof for police misconduct hearings, raising the threshold for officers to be held responsible for misconduct.
Anonymity of firearms officers facing changes relating to operational duties until conviction.
Procedural changes to accelerate disciplinary processes.
Groups such as Netpol, through their campaign End Zero Accountability, argue that the expansion of police powers should come in hand with stronger oversight and measures. They argue that the increased police authority without accountability from officers risks creating an “accountability gap” within law enforcement and between the neighborhoods they enforce and serve. For critics of this Act, the issue is not whether crime should be addressed but whether the powers in which legislation is enforced are protecting civil liberties and maintaining trust in policing.
This is the biggest overhaul of our crime‑fighting powers in a generation. It puts policing back on the side of the public and gives officers the tools they need to tackle the problems people see on their streets every day. From banning repeat offenders from town centres and protecting shop workers, to cracking down on exploitative gangs and strengthening victims’ rights, this Bill is about restoring order and rebuilding confidence. Our message is clear: If you spread fear, exploit the vulnerable or fuel violence, the law will catch up with you.” - Sarah Jones, Minister for Crime and Policing
Ministers reject the claims that the legislation undermines civil liberties, arguing that the new legislation and the powers that come with it are necessary to respond to serious crimes such as knife and violent crimes. Supporters argue that the police require an expansion of powers and preventative tools to intervene and that the public’s safety must be the primary concern.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 represents one of the most significant expansions of policing in recent years. The legislation is a crucial response to the growing rate of knife crime, antisocial behavior, and violence against women and girls according to the government. Supporters argue that this new legislation is necessary and the expansion of police power will allow police to intervene and protect the streets as well as restoring confidence in the justice system.
Ultimately, the legislation will not be measured on the powers it grants, but how the expansion of power is used, and whether it is used efficiently. If the expansion of police powers reduces crime rates whilst maintaining accountability, it will achieve the Safer Streets promise. However, if the use of stop and searches and surveillance technology is incorrectly used, it may instead mark more distrust instead of gaining public trust within the justice system and highlight the debate on public safety versus civil liberties.