The UK Government’s Crime and Policing Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, marking the end of its journey through Parliament and onto the statute books.
The Bill – or Act, now it’s passed through Parliament – creates a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker, and scraps the £200 low value shoplifting rule. Our partners at The BRC have campaigned on both of these issues for many years, and so this update marks the culmination of their efforts.
The Act introduces a range of measures aimed at tackling retail crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, alongside stronger penalties for violence against women and girls. It also includes provisions to address cyber-enabled crime and knife crime.
Notably, the legislation removes Section 176 of the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which previously set a £200 threshold for more serious shoplifting offences.
The Act comes amid continued concern about rising retail crime. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate shoplifting offences in England and Wales rose by 5% to over 519,000 incidents in the year to September 2025.
Industry bodies have broadly welcomed the changes, while emphasising the importance of effective implementation and reporting. The legislation is expected to have implications for policing practice, prevention strategies, and partnership working across the retail sector.
