Steps to tackle surging crime levels in England and Wales have been announced by Rachel Reeves in the 2025 Spending Review, with an extra £2bn being earmarked for police.
Forecourt and convenience-store operators have been telling of sharp rises in crime in recent years, with shoplifting rates recently experiencing the highest rise since records began, and one in four shoppers saying they have witnessed theft, or assaults and abuse targeted at retail workers.
To help combat this, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a 2.3% annual increase in police spending power over the Spending Review period, which covers the three financial years from 2026/27 to 2028/29.
This funding will help provide the 13,000 additional police officers, community support officers and special constables that will form part of the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which promises to provide “named, contactable officers” for “every community” in England and Wales.
Announcing the additional police spending powers, the Chancellor said: “If people are to feel pride in their communities, enjoy their public spaces and spend time on their high streets, they must feel safe when they do so. Safe in the knowledge that when people break the law, they feel the full force of the law”.
