Staggering £250 BILLION Crime Bill Exposed – Labour Urged to Act Fast!

A shocking new report has revealed that crime costs Britain an estimated £250 billion per year, raising urgent concerns over the government’s approach to law enforcement and public safety. Ministers were cautioned that a “permissive approach” to crime was not only devastating public finances but also undermining businesses and reshaping society. Former Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid emphasized the far-reaching consequences, stating:

*”This excellent report takes a detailed look at the impact of crime on the prosperity of the UK.” Its authors are public policy experts and economists, so naturally, it tells the story of how our prospects for growth are held back through macroanalysis and numbers. But the effects of crime on you or I are more than academic, reported the Express.

“Criminals corrode the bonds that hold our country together. Their actions destroy trust in other people, trust in institutions, and trust in government.” And without trust, our police forces and the free market cannot function. A situation in which people believe that when they report a crime, the police will not follow up and the perpetrator will not be brought to justice is not sustainable.

“Restoring that trust, and the rule of law on which prosperity relies, must be a priority for the government. Without it, our society will suffer. Our prospects for economic growth will suffer. And the costs of that will fall squarely on the British people.

“We can, and must, do better.”* The report, published by Policy Exchange, urged justice officials to construct an additional 53,000 prison spaces, a move that would cost the government £5 billion but is seen as necessary to tackle rising crime rates.

To enhance law enforcement effectiveness, police forces in high-crime areas should be “held to account for delivering a relentless policing presence”, the report recommended. It also proposed strict sentencing measures for repeat offenders, stating that any “hyper-prolific” criminals—those with at least 45 prior convictions—should face a mandatory two-year prison sentence for each subsequent offence.

The think tank further suggested overhauling the leadership within the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, arguing that senior officials should be removed and replaced to drive meaningful reform.

On immigration, the report called for immediate deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes, urging amendments to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the UK Borders Act 2007 to ensure stricter enforcement. Andrew Haldane CBE, former Chief Economist of the Bank of England, highlighted the discrepancy between official crime statistics and the reality on Britain’s streets.

*”Government statistics paint a benign picture of falling rates of crime. But beneath these official statistics lurks a murkier and more concerning danger: a veritable wave of crime sweeping across the UK’s streets, with shocking – if not entirely surprising – increases in various categories of crime ranging from shoplifting to stabbings, fraud to anti-social behavior.

“We are approaching what will almost certainly be a brutal, and what could be an electorally-defining, public spending review.” In an era of acute anxiety, this report is an arresting clarion – and wake-up – call to all political parties on the true and rising economic costs of crime and the societal consequences of continuing malign neglect of that most foundational of Government responsibilities – the security of citizens.”*

As the UK approaches a critical spending review, the findings of this report raise serious questions for policymakers, potentially influencing upcoming elections and shaping future strategies for public safety and crime prevention.