Thieves, thugs and vandals are getting away with crimes following a collapse in on-the-spot fines for antisocial behaviour, Britain’s new Home Secretary has warned.
Fewer than 7,200 penalty notices were issued for acts of public disorder in 2023 – down from a record 207,544 in Tony Blair’s last year in office in 2007.
The new Government has pledged to hire 13,000 additional neighbourhood police and PCSOs as part of an effort to “take back our streets”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “These shocking figures show exactly what happens when Tory Prime Ministers cut neighbourhood policing to the bone. Thieves, thugs and vandals have too often been able to get away with it while communities pay the price.
“This has to change. This Labour Government will bring back neighbourhood policing – putting thousands more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat to keep communities safe.”
Just 690 penalties were handed out for “causing harassment, alarm and distress” last year – down from 77,827 in 2007.
The latest figures show 26 of the 44 police forces in England and Wales failed to issue a single penalty notice for disorder, which come with a fine of £60 or £90, in 2023.
In 2007, 45,146 penalty notices were issued for the theft of goods with a value under £100. But last year only 454 penalties were issued for lower-value theft, which is now under £200.
This is despite soaring public concern about shoplifting.
A mere 92 penalties were handed out last year for lower-value criminal damage, which is typically used to punish vandalism and graffiti. This compares with 19,946 in 2007.
And while there were 46,996 penalty notices for drunk and disorderly behaviour that year, in 2023 there were only 3,216.
Ms Cooper said: “Three weeks on from being appointed Home Secretary after the election, I’m more determined than ever that we need to put police back on our streets, make our streets safer, rebuild confidence in policing and to restore respect for the rule of law.”
The number of penalties issued for selling or supplying under-age drinkers has slumped from 4,687 in 2007 to just 82 last year. Just 17 penalty notices were issued for litter offences last year compared with 1,374 in 2007.
Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly defended the Conservative record, saying: “If Labour truly cared about neighbourhood police numbers, they’d follow our legacy of acting tough on crime and match our credible pledge to hire 8,000 more. But it’s the same old Labour Party – who voted against increasing police budgets four years in a row and against keeping violent criminals in prison for longer.
“Only the Conservatives have the track record of acting tough on crime with over 20,000 extra police officers recruited and crime cut by over half since 2010.”
