Latest news with #Ironside
Fashion United
12-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
UK retailers welcome two billion pound funding for police
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlined a more than two billion pound increase in police spending as part of the government's latest two trillion pound Spending Review. Reeves outlined the plans during a speech on June 11, in which she said the funding reflected a 2.3 percent per year increase in police spending power 'to protect our people, our homes and our streets'. The funding also backs the government's 'Plan for Change' initiative, which aims to put 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles within England and Wales. The uptick in financing was welcomed by director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Tom Ironside, who noted that the organisation supported the plans outlined by Reeves, particularly 'with the huge rise in retail theft and the continued impact of violence and abuse on retail colleagues". Ironside did call on the chancellor, however, to funnel additional policing resources into directly addressing these issues, 'with over 2,000 incidents every day, and shoplifting, which costs retailers and their customers over four billion pounds a year'. Elsewhere, Ironside said the BRC further welcomed Reeves' plans to increase funding for skills and training, given that retail was 'one of the biggest spenders on upskilling its workforce'. He added that the organisation looks forward to seeing more detail on the planned Skills & Growth Levy. Reeves announced a 1.2 billion pound 'record investment' for skills a year, which she said would support 'over a million young people into training and apprenticeships'. 'We've seen growing businesses eager to recruit, look elsewhere. Potential wasted and enterprise frustrated,' she added.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK retailers cautious as Spending Review outlines key reforms
The Chancellor's Spending Review on 11 June 2025 set out a sweeping multi-year plan that aims to boost public services, infrastructure and policing. Among its headline measures were a £2bn boost to policing, 13,000 extra neighbourhood officers, strengthened transport investment, upskilling initiatives and proposals for business rates reform. In the retail sector, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) welcomed aspects of the package while underlining lingering concerns over crime, transport and future tax burdens. Retailers have faced mounting pressure from shoplifting and abuse, costing the industry and consumers more than £4bn annually. Tom Ironside, Director of Business & Regulation at the BRC, described the policing announcement as "welcome", noting the government's pledge of extra officers and funding. 'With the huge rise in retail theft and the continued impact of violence and abuse on retail colleagues, we welcome the announcement of an extra £2bn for policing,' Ironside said, adding that targeting 'both violence and abuse in retail, with over 2,000 incidents every day, and shoplifting' must be a priority. Official figures show retail crime levels remain stubbornly high across the UK, reinforcing the BRC's call for concentrated efforts on high streets under pressure. Successful town centres depend on reliable transport links. The Spending Review allocates billions to rail, bus and local transport schemes outside London. The BRC voiced support for this investment, highlighting it as vital to 'successful town and city centres'. Ironside added: 'Successful town and city centres are underpinned by an effective transport system which is why we support the funding aimed at improving transport in many parts of the country.' With commerce increasingly local, improvements to connectivity can help drive footfall back to bricks-and-mortar stores. On workforce development, the retail industry too stands to benefit. Ironside welcomed increased investment in skills: 'The retail industry will welcome the increased funding for skills and training, and look forward to seeing more detail on the planned Skills & Growth Levy.' Retail remains the UK's largest private‑sector employer, but spiralling costs continue to strain margins. The BRC previously warned that retailers pay disproportionately high business rates—5 % of GDP while covering more than 20 % of the total rates bill. In her review, the Chancellor confirmed the government will pursue reform: 'We support plans to bring down the disproportionate rates bill paid by the industry, but it is vital that these new reforms result in no shop paying more.' Ironside cautioned that the autumn Budget will offer the real test of these commitments—and retailers are looking for assurances that no store will face higher bills once reforms take effect. Bond markets responded cautiously to the Spending Review, with UK gilt yields modestly higher ahead of the announcement before settling. Analysts noted that departmental budgets will grow by 2.3 % annually in real terms, though sizable borrowing and efficiency savings are required. Greater clarity on the financing of these measures, particularly the Skills & Growth Levy and business rates overhaul, is expected in the autumn Budget. Retailers will be watching closely for confirmation that new funding will not come at the expense of higher costs or tax burdens. In short, the retail industry has broadly welcomed the Spending Review's focus on policing, transport and skills. However, concerns persist over crime levels, the pace of business rates reform and potential fiscal pressures ahead. As the government moves toward its autumn Budget, retailers will gauge whether the commitments translate into tangible relief on high streets across the UK. "UK retailers cautious as Spending Review outlines key reforms" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘Code of Silence' review: Taut thriller with a deaf lead is a groundbreaking drama series
Code of Silence, a wonderfully suspenseful thriller, is written by Catherine Moulton, who has been partially deaf since birth Today at 21:30 Dramas that break new ground can come in all shapes and sizes. Still, the last place you'd expect to find boundaries being smashed is in an ITV crime drama. It's long been considered unacceptable for characters with a disability to be played by actors without one, which was the norm back in the days of series like Ironside (wheelchair-using police chief) and Longstreet (blind insurance investigator).
ABC News
12-05-2025
- ABC News
High Court to decide if information gathered on encrypted messaging app AN0M was legally obtained
The High Court will on Tuesday delve into the murky world of organised crime and encrypted messaging on an app known as AN0M, which was secretly controlled by the FBI and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The operation known as "Ironside" began in 2018, when phones with the app began to circulate among criminal elements, encouraged by people the police identified as "criminal influencers", who unwittingly recommended the devices. It appeared to be a secure way to send messages, except that every communication was being copied and forwarded to police. In 2021 there was a worldwide crackdown. The app had collected about 28 million messages, including 19 million relating to Australia. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) said there were nearly 1,000 arrests globally, with 42 tonnes of illicit drugs and $US58 million in cash and crypto currency seized. According to AFP data, there have been nearly 100 people in Australia charged, with drugs, firearms, and substantial amounts of money seized. The ACIC said at the time the operation "provided voluminous, invaluable intelligence and insight that has never been obtained before by Australian law enforcement". But now two South Australian men, who are alleged members of the Comancheros bikie group, want the High Court to find that information was not legally obtained. The two are charged with belonging to a criminal group and possession of prohibited firearms. Their lawyers will tell the High Court the evidence against them collected from AN0M should be inadmissible in their trial, because its collection breached The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979. "The question is whether communications obtained covertly by the AN0M application were obtained as the result of an unlawful interception," their submissions to the court said. The pair have so far failed in two appeals against the use of the information, but were granted special leave to appeal by the High Court last year. Soon afterwards the case took a new turn when the Commonwealth changed the law, to back up the use of the app by police. On Tuesday the High Court will also consider if the new law is valid. In their submissions the men's lawyers said it interferes with the exercise of judicial power guaranteed under the constitution. "It is an invalid exercise of legislative power," submissions for the men said. The lawyers will tell the High Court the new law undermines the institutional integrity of the courts, removing the "fact finding" function which is a hallmark of judicial power. But the Commonwealth will tell the High Court the new law does not direct the courts to find any fact, and is valid under the constitution. The Commonwealth also said in its submissions the new act made no difference to the interception laws. "[The] Court of Appeal was correct to conclude that the AN0M evidence did not involve an interception in contravention … of the Interception Act," Commonwealth submissions said. The attorneys-general for New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria have intervened, along with the Director of Public Prosecutions for South Australia, which has applied to intervene in support of the Commonwealth.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shoplifting offences in UK reach highest level on record, figures reveal
The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level on record, according to official figures, surpassing half a million offences for the first time in 2024. A total of 516,971 shoplifting offences were recorded last year, a 20% increase on the 429,873 recorded in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics. This is the highest level of shoplifting logged since current police recording practices began in 2003, although retailers said the official figures 'severely underestimate' the scale of the problem. Crime figures have shown a rise in shoplifting since the pandemic, but it has continued to climb, resulting in an increase in the overall level of theft in England and Wales last year. The rise in shoplifting has been partly seen as the result of squeezed household finances amid high inflation in recent years, but the industry body British Retail Consortium (BRC) has previously blamed it on organised gangs stealing to order. Related: Nearly one in four Britons have witnessed shoplifting, study shows 'While the ONS statistics show that shoplifting is at record levels, their figures severely underestimate the problem,' said Tom Ironside, the director of business and regulation at the BRC. 'Their figures are equivalent to less than two incidents per shop per year; if you ask most shopkeepers they'll tell you they're lucky if a day goes by without a shoplifting incident,' he added. 'A survey of major retailers by the BRC showed there are over 20m incidents of shoplifting every year – unfortunately many of these go unreported as retailers simply don't have faith that action will be taken by the police,' Ironside said. The trade body has calculated that shop theft costs retailers more than £2.2bn a year, and is also causing them to spend £1.8m on anti-crime measures. Retailers have called for help to prevent and handle rising retail crime and the impact it has on their employees and businesses, and the BRC is demanding more police resources allocated to the tackling increasing levels of theft. Aside from the financial cost, retail workers have warned of the threat of violence and abuse they face when battling to control shoplifting. The retail trade union, Usdaw, said two-thirds of the 9,500 retail workers who responded to its annual survey said incidents of violence, threats and verbal abuse they had experienced were triggered by theft or armed robbery. Paddy Lillis, Usdaw's general secretary said: 'Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers.' The retail thefts being reported are 'only the tip of the iceberg,' said James Lowman, the chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores. Fraud increased by a third in 2024 to 4.1m incidents, according to the ONS figures. This included 2.4m incidents of bank and credit account fraud, and 1.1m incidents of consumer and retail fraud, which rose by 35% compared with a year earlier. The consumer group Which? called on the government to 'halt the flood of online scam adverts' through full implementation of the Online Safety Act. 'It's also vital that the government announces plans for tough regulation of online advertising more widely, to tackle the wave of bogus celebrity-backed investment schemes and other scam adverts that appear on popular websites,' said Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy.
