Story perspectives

UK Introduces 5-Year Cuckooing Offence Amid Rising Home Seizures

6/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 will create a specific cuckooing offence by year-end, carrying a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
Police recorded 1,539 cuckooing incidents in London between May 2025 and April 2026, while estimating that hundreds to thousands of UK homes are seized weekly by drug gangs.
Metropolitan Police inspections of suspected properties revealed squalid conditions such as food litter, broken doors, foul odours and blood-stained bedding.

1 of 1

Story summary

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 will create a specific cuckooing offence by year-end, carrying a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
Police recorded 1,539 cuckooing incidents in London between May 2025 and April 2026, while estimating that hundreds to thousands of UK homes are seized weekly by drug gangs.
Metropolitan Police inspections of suspected properties revealed squalid conditions such as food litter, broken doors, foul odours and blood-stained bedding.