Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the (a) theft of and (b) selling of stolen tools.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows that neighbourhood crime is down 48% when comparing findings from the Crime Survey to year ending September 2023 with the year ending March 2010.
The Government is tackling acquisitive crime as a priority and is committed to reducing the ability for criminals to profit from crime, making it less attractive for offenders to commit thefts of goods, including tools. The theft of tools can have a significant impact on victims, particularly those who rely on their tools to earn a living.
The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which will require certain specified equipment to be marked and registered before it is sold to the first owner. The Home Office consulted on extending the legislation to include tradespeople's power tools to help prevent theft and assist police forces with identifying and proving ownership of stolen property. The Government's response to the consultation will be published shortly.
The Government is working with the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) and the Combined Industries Theft Solutions to explore ways to prevent the theft of tools from tradespeople's vans. The NBCC and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Secured By Design) have also published crime prevention guidance to help tradespeople prevent theft: https://nbcc.police.uk/crime-prevention/crime-prevention-guides and https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/vehicle-crime/vans-tool-theft.
We are also working with partners to make tradespeople's vans more secure. Following engagement with the Home Office and National Vehicle Crime Working Group, Thatcham Research has agreed to add to their New Vehicle Security Assessment (NVSA), locks and alarms on the back of vans (previously NVSA only covers the cab area of vans) and a motion sensor on the load area of the van.
In addition, through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure forces can share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and better tackle regional issues.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will have discussions with the Metropolitan Police on publishing data on the number of (a) speeding fines and (b) notices of intended prosecution for speeding since 1 December 2023 in the section of the A20 eastbound near Sidcup with a temporary speed limit.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
No discussions are currently planned between the Home Secretary and the Metropolitan Police on this matter.
Enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for local Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.
If there are problems with the issue of speeding tickets then the matter can initially be raised with the Metropolitan Police, MOPAC and TfL as the authority responsible for the road in question.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle illegal protests that block streets in London.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to tackling the guerrilla tactics used by a selfish minority of protesters, which take up precious resource and disrupt the lives of others. That is why we introduced the Public Order Act 2023, which improves the police’s ability to manage highly disruptive protests and take a proactive approach to prevent such disruption happening in the first place. For example, the lock-on offence and the associated stop and search power will allow the police to pro-actively prevent protesters from causing serious disruption on our roads and save the taxpayer time and money.
Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, the Government also raised the maximum penalty for wilful obstruction of the highway, ensuring offenders can receive proportionate sentences for the disruption they cause.
We have also recently amended the Public Order Act 1986 via statutory instrument to align the definition of “serious disruption” with the Public Order Act 2023. These changes give the police greater flexibility and clarity over when to intervene to stop disruptive tactics such as blocking roads and slow walks.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle (a) the theft of motor vehicles and (b) the use of signal blockers in those crimes.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime.
We are working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft.
A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.
A vehicle crime intelligence group has been set up to monitor emerging trends in vehicle crime, such as the use of signal blockers, and provide a link between the Home Office, police, vehicle manufacturers and Thatcham Research, the automotive insurer’s research centre.