Important Update: New Police Powers to Recover Stolen Items in Barton

Dear Resident,

We are writing to inform you about a significant change in the law that grants police new powers to tackle theft and recover stolen property in our community. 

Under the newly enacted Crime and Policing Act 2026, UK police officers can now enter and search premises without a court warrant if electronic location tagging proves a stolen item is inside. 

Previously, officers were unable to enter a private property even if tracking data clearly showed a stolen item was inside, which often hindered our ability to recover your property quickly. This new legislation provides us with the necessary powers to take direct action and retrieve your belongings.

To help us make the most of these new powers, we strongly encourage all residents to enable electronic tracking (such as Apple Find My, SmartTags, or GPS inserts) on all valuable devices and items.

If your tracked item is stolen, please follow these crucial steps to help us assist you safely and effectively:

Best regards,

To find out more about your local policing team including who your officers are, updates on policing priorities and details of meetings and events please visit https://www.police.uk.