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Criminal Law (Amendment) (Protection of Property) Bill

I knew there must be a reason. However, I am delighted to have secured fifth place in the ballot for private Members’ Bills. I want to explain why we need a change in the law. The law is not clear and we need a deterrent to show burglars why they will meet more force and resistance than may have been the case hitherto. Undoubtedly, fear of crime, and of burglary in particular, is increasing and the violence used by burglars is increasing, too. Only this week, on 30 November, TheBirmingham Post reported that a shop assistant had been shot twice in the face during a robbery in Birmingham and that he could lose his eye. The report stated that the father of two, Imran Shah, who is only 21 years old"““was serving in the 24-hour Hamza Food Store in Sparkbrook at 2 am . . . when two masked men swooped.””" The time has come to redress the balance.