THE PEOPLE'SVOTE

Civic intelligence prototype

An experiment in explaining, tracking and discussing real legislation. It is not an official parliamentary service, and nothing on it is a vote, a poll or legal advice. Records were verified on 2026-09-23; always check the official page for each law before relying on it.

All dossiers

UK Parliament — now an Act (2026 c. 20)

CRIME AND POLICING ACT 2026 (INTRODUCED AS THE CRIME AND POLICING BILL 2025)

It expands police powers and creates new offences, so the balance between enforcement capacity and individual rights shifts with each commencement.

Three things people often assume

  • A Bill is not law. Until it is passed and brought into force, it changes nothing.
  • An Act may not take effect immediately. Most laws are switched on in pieces, sometimes years apart.
  • Secondary rules often decide the real impact. Regulations made later receive far less scrutiny than the original debate.
  1. 01

    Issue

    Completed

    Public concern about antisocial behaviour, retail crime, knife crime and confidence in policing.

    No legal effect; the agenda-setting stage.

  2. 02

    Policy proposal

    Completed

    The Safer Streets Mission set out the government's stated aims before drafting.

    Policy commitments made here shaped the Bill's scope.

  3. 03

    Bill introduction

    Completed

    Introduced in the Commons on 25 February 2025, with impact assessments published alongside.

    A Bill is a proposal; nothing in it applies yet.

  4. 04

    Commons stages

    Completed

    Second reading 10 March 2025; public bill committee from 27 March to 13 May 2025; report and third reading 17-18 June 2025.

    Committee sittings are where clause-by-clause changes were made.

  5. 05

    Lords stages

    Completed

    Introduced in the Lords 19 June 2025; second reading 16 October 2025; committee from 10 November 2025; report and third reading thereafter.

    Lords scrutiny produced significant amendments to police powers and offences.

  6. 06

    Amendments between Houses

    Completed

    Both Houses considered each other's amendments until the final text was agreed.

    The final wording determines the reach of each new offence.

  7. 07

    Divisions (votes)

    Completed

    Recorded divisions at each contested stage, listed in the Hansard references in the explanatory notes.

    Division records show how each member acted.

  8. 08

    Royal Assent

    Completed

    Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Bill became the Crime and Policing Act 2026 (c. 20).

    Assent alone did not bring the offences into force.

  9. 09

    Act of Parliament

    Completed

    Published on legislation.gov.uk with explanatory notes, Hansard references and a progress-of-bill table.

    The enacted text is the legal baseline for everything that follows.

  10. 10

    Regulations & secondary legislation

    Happening now

    Commencement regulations and Home Office circulars (including circulars 004 to 010 of 2026) bring provisions into force and explain them to forces.

    Circulars shape how police actually use the powers day to day.

  11. 11

    Implementation & review

    Happening now

    Guidance on the criminal confiscation regime and the memorial-climbing offence has been published; further guidance follows as sections commence.

    Training, capacity and charging practice decide the real-world effect.

Where it stands today

Live current reporting · AI-summarised, neutral

Checking current reporting…