Government threatens to crack down on career criminals and building more prisons

Transport minister Richard Holden said those ‘persistently breaking the law’ should be jailed (Image: Getty) Transport minister Richard Holden said those ‘persistently breaking the law’ should be jailed and ‘if we need to build more prison places for them, then so be it’. Justice chiefs are under growing pressure to increase capacity to end the crisis behind bars. And ministers are expected in November to set out plans to lock up more prolific shoplifters, burglars and thugs convicted of common assault – putting even greater pressure on full prisons.. Richard Holden, a transport minister, told LBC: ‘I think there has been an issue where sometimes the police haven’t concentrated enough on some of these offences. ‘But they really do have a huge impact on our high streets and shops right across the country. ‘If people are particularly prolific on that, then yes, they do need jail time. But I think sometimes that on top of that,you need to tackle some of those underlying causes, such as drug addiction… which will often lead them to a life of crime. So I’m all in favour of locking people up, if they persistently break the law.’ Asked if there were enough prison places, Mr Holden said: ‘If people are persistently breaking the law, then they should go to jail, and if we need to build more prison places for them, then so be it.’ UK transport minister Richard Holden (Image: Getty) Tougher sentences are being planned for offences including shoplifting, burglary, theft and common assault. Repeat shoplifters could be jailed after committing between 10 and 20 offences, sources suggested. It will effectively work like the ‘two strikes’ policy for those caught carrying knives. This means anyone caught with a blade for a third time is automatically jailed as they have escaped more severe punishments in the past. But ministers are facing growing fears over the capacity of Britain’s prison estate. The current prison population stands at 86,602 – just 971 below ‘operational capacity’. But Labour last night warned the number of criminals could hit 89,100, opening up the possibility of more violent offenders avoiding jail. The UK is to build new prisons and enforce harsher prisons sentences on those who regularly offend (Image: Getty) Labour officials said thug Fabian Greco received a suspended sentence due to ‘pressure on the prison estate’ despite punching and repeatedly kicking a man in a road rage incident. And the party said a human trafficker also avoided a prison sentence after throwing boiling water over an emergency worker due to prison overcrowding ‘concerns’. But Ministry of Justice officials said that by September 2023, the Government will have created an additional 2,300 places. This includes 1,000 Rapid Deployment Cells. The Government has also opened a new prison, HMP Five Wells, which has a capacity of 1,700 prisoners and HMP Millsike, which will open in 2025, will have an additional 1,500 places. Steve Reed MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, said: ‘Our prisons are turning criminals away because the Conservatives failed to build the cells they promised. ‘The situation has become so chaotic that the Conservative Government has instructed judges not to lock up dangerous criminals, leaving them to roam the streets and seek out new victims. ‘To make matters worse, criminals who do end up in jail have been allowed to run riot with violence and drug abuse spiralling out of control, driving up reoffending rates. ‘Labour is the party of law and order. In government, we will get on and deliver the prison places we need to ensure that dangerous criminals are where they belong – behind bars. That’s how we will prevent crime, punish criminals and protect communities.’ Policing minister Chris Philp is also urging police forces to make more use of live facial recognition technology to detect known shoplifters. Some retailers, such as Co-op, Spar, Budgens, Costcutters and Sports Direct have trialled a live facial recognition system which costs them £10-per-day. Once a known shoplifter enters the store, an alert is triggered and a member of staff will ask them if they need any help, to indicate they are being monitored. Commenting, Damian Hinds MP, Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, said: ‘Labour’s record proves they are soft on crime and soft on criminals – Keir Starmer has consistently whipped his MPs to vote against stronger sentences for violent and sexual offenders. ‘The last time Labour were in power, they released 80,000 prisoners early, including terrorists. ‘Meanwhile, we have cut the reoffending rate to lower than when Labour left office, increased the conviction rate by 15 percent, introduced tougher sentences for the worst offenders, and are building more new prison places than under any Labour government.’