POLICE tasked with cracking down on a huge spike in retail crime in Barnsley will be allowed to get tougher on thieves this year - after new powers to combat thieves were rubber-stamped by the government.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a raft of new measures in her Crime and Policing Bill, notably faster responses to retailers and tougher sentences to those who steal items worth less than £200.

The scrapping of the previous £200 threshold - which shoplifters had to have exceeded before court proceedings could be launched much to shopworkers’ dismay - has also been lauded by Barnsley North MP Dan Jarvis this week.

He told the Chronicle: “I have a great admiration for the police officers who both keep decent Barnsley folk safe and work tirelessly to catch the criminals who blight our borough.

“It is great to see that the government’s Crime and Policing Bill will give them further powers to tackle crimes both in our town and across the country.”

Barnsley-based officers had set their sights on boosting charge rates to at least 40 per cent in the hope of boosting retailers’ trust amid long-held claims from trade unions that not enough was being done to deter criminals from committing theft.

According to a police report, Barnsley as a whole has recorded a 14 per cent climb in retail crime in the last year alone, while conviction rates have remained stagnant.

The reoffending rate in Barnsley stood at 29.2 per cent, up from 26.4 per cent the year before.

It’s hoped the removal of the £200 threshold will boost confidence for retail workers and make serial offenders think again.

A South Yorkshire Police report, which delved into Barnsley’s rates, added: “Current figures show 32 per cent of offenders are being charged in relation to retail crime and we aim to increase the prosecution rate to 40 per cent.

“By prosecuting more offenders the force will be able to ensure that preventative measures such as criminal behaviour orders are being used to refer offenders to partner agencies - such as drug and alcohol misuse centres - to prevent repeat offences.

“Increasing the police outcome rate will contribute to reducing reoffending, not least through the use of remand and bail conditions.

“The force will demonstrate to retailers their commitment, which will positively influence trust and confidence.

“Key to success will be business crime reduction partnerships, which is a key tenet of our charter.

“Barnsley and Doncaster’s respective groups have become well established, while Sheffield and Rotherham’s groups have formed and participation is growing.

“We will continue to work with retailers to encourage them to utilise a digital evidence portal which will ensure that CCTV is received quickly and in an appropriate format.”

Paddy Lillis, general secretary of trade union Usdaw, praised the government’s commitment to reducing retail crime.

“Retail crime, theft from shops and abuse of staff are real concerns for our members and we welcome that they have been highlighted at the highest level with the Prime Minister.

“Keir Starmer’s response shows that we have seen a complete change in the government response, under Labour, to a significant increase in theft from shops, which has doubled since the pandemic and risen in the last 12 months.

“This contrasts with 14 years of the Conservatives refusing to support the calls from Usdaw and many major retailers for significant action.

“New legislation will deliver a much-needed protection of retail workers’ law, end the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters which has effectively become an open invitation to retail criminals, along with introducing sterner orders for repeat offenders.

“It is our hope that these new measures will help give shop workers the respect they deserve.

“No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but too many retail workers are.

“They provide an essential service and deserve our respect and the protection of the law.

“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime - theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers.

“Having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can cause issues beyond the theft itself like anxiety, fear and in some cases physical harm to retail workers.

“This is a hugely important issue for our members and they are saying loud and clear that enough is enough.”