POLICE and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell has welcomed new proposals to help police tackle crime and protect victims more effectively.

Under the Government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill, which entered Parliament on Tuesday, a whole package of measures will be introduced to equip police with new and stronger powers to tackle the crimes that harm communities most.

These include new police powers to search premises where stolen items, including mobile phones, have been electronically located without needing to apply for a warrant.

The Bill also proposes harsher penalties for those who sell dangerous weapons to under-18s; the creation of a new standalone spiking offence; better protection for victims of stalking including the strengthening of stalking protection orders; and the introduction of a new offence for assaulting a retail worker.

Responding to the Bill, Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, said:- “This Bill is good news for all victims of crime. It will support the work of the police to more effectively crack down on the crimes that blight and cause misery for our communities. I particularly welcome the commitment to strengthening stalking protection orders and the introduction of a new spiking offence. We know that violence against women and girls is at an epidemic level nationally, so it is imperative officers and partners have access to every tool in the book to radically improve and protect their safety.

“I’m also pleased that officers are being granted more powers to tackle the scourge of knife crime in our communities, with retailers facing greater scrutiny and consequences for under-age knife sales. It is horrifying just how easily young people can get hold of deadly weapons online, under the cloak of anonymity. Everything possible has to be done to prevent these deadly weapons from getting into the wrong hands, where they can cause so much harm and grief. It is also right that we do more to protect our frontline retail workers. This is something I have supported for many years, and it is essential these hardworking people should be able to do their jobs without fear of violence and abuse. I am looking forward to working with ministers to address the detail of these headline announcements in the coming weeks and understanding their potential for improving local policing services in Merseyside.”

The Government has set an ambitious mission to halve knife crime over the next decade, promising to pursue every possible avenue to save young lives.

Under the Bill, police will be given powers to seize, retain and destroy bladed articles found on private property while a new criminal offence of possessing a bladed article with the intent to cause harm will be created.

In other action, retailers will be required to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives on their platforms to police while sentences for selling weapons to under 18s from 6 months to up to 2 years, applicable to all staff, from the individual processing the sale to their CEO.

The Government has already announced the introduction of significant fines in the region of £10,000 for tech executives who fail to remove illegal knife crime content from their platforms and a mandatory 2-step verification system for all retailers selling knives online. This will require customers to submit photo ID at the point of sale and again at the point of delivery. In addition, delivery companies will only be able to deliver a bladed article to the same person who purchased it.