The Home Office plans to give police new powers to arrest people for minor offences such as littering and graffiti.

Proposals for tough new police powers to help officers tackle crime and improve community safety have been set out in a consultation launched on Thursday by minister, Hazel Blears. 

Government Response: Home Office

Hazel Blears, Home Office minister, said: "Protecting the public is our top priority - everyone has the right to live in a safe and secure environment. The chance of being a victim of crime is at its lowest for more than 20 years, but we are determined to do still more to cut crime.

"We need to maintain the crucial balance between the powers of the police and the rights of the individual, but we also need to make sure the police and other investigative agencies have the powers they need to tackle crime.

"The measures we have set out today are part of the second phase of the government’s police reform programme. We want to strengthen the link between the police and the community, increasing the accountability and responsiveness of the service and building the confidence and awareness of the community.

"We already have record police numbers and nearly 4,000 community support officers. These new powers will make a significant contribution to creating a modern and efficient service, able to meet the challenges of the 21st century."

Stakeholder Response: Association of Chief Police Officers

Denis O’Connor, ACPO vice president and chief constable of Surrey Police, said: "There is undoubtedly a need to rationalise some of the powers we currently hold and strengthen those we need most. We are supportive of the government’s effort to enhance the powers of the wider police family, particularly Community Support Officers (CSOs), enabling them to assist the police in tackling crime and disorder.

"However, we would sound a note of caution at any major extension of powers for CSOs before the Home Office evaluation is complete.

"We are pleased to see several powers included in the consultation that ACPO has long called for, such as the power to take fingerprints by the roadside for the purposes of identification, a new offence of using an incorrectly registered vehicle and the taking of footwear impressions without the suspect’s consent.

"The government’s proposal to amend legislation in relation to the Health and Safety at Work Act, which currently gives chief officers employer’s duties, is a sensible way forward, given the current structure of policing. We would support a change in the law to designate the chief officer as a ‘corporation sole’ enabling him or her to be represented in any legal proceedings rather than appear in person.

"The police service has achieved a lot in recent years with significant reductions in volume crime in the face of increasing demands for service. Yet the public seem to feel that society is increasingly unsafe. We hope that by having a full range of powers available to us, we can deal effectively with antisocial behaviour, be one step ahead of the criminal, and give people the confidence to live safely, free from the fear of crime."