UK Police Brace for Surge in Crime & Civil Unrest Amid Soaring Energy Bills, Cost-of-Living Crisis
11:01 GMT 04.09.2022 (Updated: 15:20 GMT 28.05.2023)
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Over 1.7 million UK households are reportedly due to boycott energy companies and not pay their bills next months, when an 80%-higher price cap comes into force, new research suggests.
British police are bracing for a surge in crime, a breakdown in public order and greater corruption in its ranks this winter amid the raging cost-of-living crisis, the Sunday Times reported, citing a leaked national strategy paper.
The paper, which was drawn up by police, revealed that authorities are worried that "economic turmoil and financial instability" has the "potential to drive increases in particular crime types," including shoplifting, burglary, carjacking, as well as blackmail and online fraud.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell told the Times that desperate residents might resort to stealing essentials to survive.
“A lot of the conversations I’ve had with the chief and the deputy chief of Merseyside Police have revolved around our practical approach to that [uptick in crime]. If businesses are reporting to us that individuals are stealing milk, or stealing food for their kids, or nappies… what’s the approach to that to make sure we don’t make life harder by fining them or giving them another sentence that isn’t ultimately going to solve their problems?” she said.
The paper also warns that a “more complex and unpredictable risk is the chance of greater civil unrest, as a response to prolonged and painful economic pressure.”
One chief constable was quoted as saying that the police has already noticed a spike in some offences and has ramped up responses to such crimes, as a £3,549 ($4,085) price cap on yearly household energy bills starts to bite on October 1.
Police corruption is also expected to rise, as, “Greater financial vulnerability may expose some staff to higher risk of corruption, especially among those who fall into significant debt or financial difficulties,” the paper, which includes information from the National Police Chiefs' Council, exposed.
Health and electricity services are also due to suffer. As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, British ministers have insisted that blackouts are unlikely, but departments are said to be testing their ability to operate in the event of power outages. Likewise, the Department for Levelling Up is weighing the impact of dramatically dipping temperatures on homeless people, while there are concerns that the National Health Service (NHS) will see its hardest winter in almost 20 years.
According to the newspaper, NHS England and the government are holding talks about the lack of capacity of ambulance services to respond to calls, as well as the potential of a big social care provider falling apart due to skyrocketing energy costs, crippling staff shortages and a lack of funding. These factors could prompt an entire system failure, with the peak rise for the NHS expected to come in the second week of January.
3 September 2022, 23:54 GMT
The cost-of-living crisis and measures to handle it has been one of the main issues during the Tory leadership contest, which will end on September 5 when a new Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister will be announced.
According to the annual Minimum Income Standard study, soaring inflation and energy costs will leave millions of low-income Brits thousands of pounds short of what is the minimum amount to live with basic dignity in the country this winter. The survey sets out a vision of the living standards that UK residents think that the country should be able to achieve.
To highlight these shortfalls, nearly 147,000 people have pledged to boycott the £3,549 price cap on yearly household energy bills from October 1 by joining the Don't Pay UK movement against the rise in energy bills.
"It's simple: we are demanding a reduction of energy bills to an affordable level. Our leverage is that we will gather a million people to pledge not to pay if the government goes ahead with another massive hike on October 1st. Mass non-payment is not a new idea, it happened in the UK in the late 80s and 90s, when more than 17 million people refused to pay the Poll Tax – helping bring down the government and reversing its harshest measures. Even if a fraction of those of us who are paying by direct debit stop our payments, it will be enough to put energy companies in serious trouble, and they know this. We want to bring them to the table and force them to end this crisis," the movement explained.
According to an Opinium Research survey, more than 1.7 million British households plan to stop paying their energy bills next month.
