Search warrants

Will they also crack down on the masses of blatant thieves also know as shoplifters? That’s what I’d like to know.

Since when did thieving from shops turn into something for the police (largely) to shrug their shoulders at?

This move is only a small part of 50 new crime fighting laws, *many of which we have been calling for for a long time - on knives, stalking, child abuse, shoplifting and a great deal more

I didnt realise this thread has started but I've put a thread up in news and Politics which outlines the whole picture, I think needs to be seen contextually

www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/1345800-50-New-Crime-Fighting-Laws-unveiled

I have no problem with police being given the power to search a suspect’s home without a warrant. Why is it an abuse of power? They would be granted a warrant on stating their reasons for wanting to carry out a search. This would save on time and admin and maybe enable items to be retrieved which., with delay, could be disposed of.

My nieces phone was stolen, it was tracked to a house and the police were called, they stood outside the house for a while but said they were not allowed to go in, so she never got it back.

Things could be very different under the new law.

I'm not worried about this, I'm sure the power will only be used when the items have been tracked by the owners to the address being searched.

Tracking of stolen e bikes have similar guidelines. (ie no warrant required if evidence is there) But its all part of the greater crime bill listed here
www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/1345800-50-New-Crime-Fighting-Laws-unveiled

A while back my sister and her husband were woken up at 5.30am on a Sunday. It was the boys in blue from the Met and they were bashing at the door and yelling. There were police in the back garden and they had trampled plants and broken pots.

My BIL had the presence of mind to ask them to show their warrant and it turned out they had come to the wrong house
as they had read a 3 as a 5.

No apology no compensation for the broken pots etc. And the people next door, who were the point of the raid, were long gone having been woken up by the noise.

Goodness only knows what would have happened if they had not needed a warrant.

The law is very clear on compensation for wrongful damage!
Just checked up on it - it seems some people have to have recourse to a solicitor
www.hudgellsolicitors.co.uk/news/civil-liberties/has-your-home-been-wrongly-raided-by-the-police#:~:text=you%20have%20taken.-,Who%20pays%20if%20the%20police%20damage%20your%20property%20during%20a,door%20if%20they%20forced%20entry.

Although its not clear if gardens are included tho they should be and there are clauses for wrongful distress etc.

As the police did not enter the house, they argued, rightly or wrongly, that they did not cause distress. If I remember rightly they tried to excuse what they did by implying that My DS and BIL were involved with what was going on next door as they advised them "don't make a fuss and think yourselves lucky".

This was over 30 years ago but little has changed.