Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times Ministers in his Department consulted the National Police Chiefs' Council on its Retail Crime Action Plan before publication.
Answered by Chris Philp
The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities and consumers.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 25% in the 12 months to June 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 29% in the year ending June 2023. That’s a welcome indication that the police are heeding the message and are giving greater attention to shoplifting. The Home Office does not hold specific information relating to shoplifting offences attended by the police.
Over recent months I have worked with representatives of the retail sector and senior police leaders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) leads for Acquisitive Crime, Retail Crime, Business Crime and the National Business Crime Centre, to improve the police response to
shoplifting. These conversations resulted in the development of the NPCC’s Retail Crime Action Plan.
In October, the NPCC published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces in England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.
Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals. Police forces use the facial matching facility on the Police National Database which contains images of people previously arrested. The UK passport database is searched on a limited basis in support of the most serious law enforcement investigations.
The plan also includes guidance for retailers on what response they can expect from their local police, as well as how retailers can assist the police by providing evidence to help ensure cases are followed-up. Retailers can assist police by providing CCTV footage and images, which is best shared electronically via a Digital Evidence Management System.
The Home Office does not hold data on police attendance at retail crime incidents. The NPCC is exploring how this data could be captured by police forces to show attendance in line with the commitments in the Retail Crime Action Plan.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police in England and Wales, as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Stop and search and arrests’ statistical release. The Home Office does not hold information relating to citizens arrests.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6491 on Shoplifting, what percentage of reports of shoplifting were attended by police in 2023; and whether attendance levels increased after publication of the National Police Chiefs' Council's Retail Crime Action Plan in October 2023.
Answered by Chris Philp
The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities and consumers.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 25% in the 12 months to June 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 29% in the year ending June 2023. That’s a welcome indication that the police are heeding the message and are giving greater attention to shoplifting. The Home Office does not hold specific information relating to shoplifting offences attended by the police.
Over recent months I have worked with representatives of the retail sector and senior police leaders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) leads for Acquisitive Crime, Retail Crime, Business Crime and the National Business Crime Centre, to improve the police response to
shoplifting. These conversations resulted in the development of the NPCC’s Retail Crime Action Plan.
In October, the NPCC published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces in England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.
Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals. Police forces use the facial matching facility on the Police National Database which contains images of people previously arrested. The UK passport database is searched on a limited basis in support of the most serious law enforcement investigations.
The plan also includes guidance for retailers on what response they can expect from their local police, as well as how retailers can assist the police by providing evidence to help ensure cases are followed-up. Retailers can assist police by providing CCTV footage and images, which is best shared electronically via a Digital Evidence Management System.
The Home Office does not hold data on police attendance at retail crime incidents. The NPCC is exploring how this data could be captured by police forces to show attendance in line with the commitments in the Retail Crime Action Plan.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police in England and Wales, as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Stop and search and arrests’ statistical release. The Home Office does not hold information relating to citizens arrests.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6491 on Shoplifting, following an instance of shoplifting what evidence can be secured from non-police personnel.
Answered by Chris Philp
The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities and consumers.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 25% in the 12 months to June 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 29% in the year ending June 2023. That’s a welcome indication that the police are heeding the message and are giving greater attention to shoplifting. The Home Office does not hold specific information relating to shoplifting offences attended by the police.
Over recent months I have worked with representatives of the retail sector and senior police leaders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) leads for Acquisitive Crime, Retail Crime, Business Crime and the National Business Crime Centre, to improve the police response to
shoplifting. These conversations resulted in the development of the NPCC’s Retail Crime Action Plan.
In October, the NPCC published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces in England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.
Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals. Police forces use the facial matching facility on the Police National Database which contains images of people previously arrested. The UK passport database is searched on a limited basis in support of the most serious law enforcement investigations.
The plan also includes guidance for retailers on what response they can expect from their local police, as well as how retailers can assist the police by providing evidence to help ensure cases are followed-up. Retailers can assist police by providing CCTV footage and images, which is best shared electronically via a Digital Evidence Management System.
The Home Office does not hold data on police attendance at retail crime incidents. The NPCC is exploring how this data could be captured by police forces to show attendance in line with the commitments in the Retail Crime Action Plan.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police in England and Wales, as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Stop and search and arrests’ statistical release. The Home Office does not hold information relating to citizens arrests.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, if he will provide examples of organisations who have a lawful reason to access HM Passport Office data in support of the law enforcement mission they have been tasked with performing.
Answered by Chris Philp
The government is committed to making sure the police have the tools and technology they need to solve and prevent crimes and keep the range of policy and technology changes needed to enable this under review. Not to keep pace with change will leave our communities vulnerable.
Territorial police forces and the National Crime Agency, for example, have access to a range of datasets to help them identify suspects or victims. This includes the Passport Office databases
The Home Office, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, continues to assess the national policing programmes to determine the best approach to delivery of digital capabilities. This includes discussions on the merits of combining policing databases.
There are no plans to merge the Police National Database and the Passport Office Databases and therefore no assessment of merits has been made.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of amalgamating data sets into one system.
Answered by Chris Philp
The government is committed to making sure the police have the tools and technology they need to solve and prevent crimes and keep the range of policy and technology changes needed to enable this under review. Not to keep pace with change will leave our communities vulnerable.
Territorial police forces and the National Crime Agency, for example, have access to a range of datasets to help them identify suspects or victims. This includes the Passport Office databases
The Home Office, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, continues to assess the national policing programmes to determine the best approach to delivery of digital capabilities. This includes discussions on the merits of combining policing databases.
There are no plans to merge the Police National Database and the Passport Office Databases and therefore no assessment of merits has been made.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, which data sets police forces have access to to help identify criminals as of 8 January 2024.
Answered by Chris Philp
The government is committed to making sure the police have the tools and technology they need to solve and prevent crimes and keep the range of policy and technology changes needed to enable this under review. Not to keep pace with change will leave our communities vulnerable.
Territorial police forces and the National Crime Agency, for example, have access to a range of datasets to help them identify suspects or victims. This includes the Passport Office databases
The Home Office, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, continues to assess the national policing programmes to determine the best approach to delivery of digital capabilities. This includes discussions on the merits of combining policing databases.
There are no plans to merge the Police National Database and the Passport Office Databases and therefore no assessment of merits has been made.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6492 on Crime: Databases, whether the Government plans to increase police access to HM Passport Office data to help identify criminals.
Answered by Chris Philp
The government is committed to making sure the police have the tools and technology they need to solve and prevent crimes and keep the range of policy and technology changes needed to enable this under review. Not to keep pace with change will leave our communities vulnerable.
Territorial police forces and the National Crime Agency, for example, have access to a range of datasets to help them identify suspects or victims. This includes the Passport Office databases
The Home Office, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, continues to assess the national policing programmes to determine the best approach to delivery of digital capabilities. This includes discussions on the merits of combining policing databases.
There are no plans to merge the Police National Database and the Passport Office Databases and therefore no assessment of merits has been made.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the amount of physical learning time lost by pupils studying creative subjects in schools affected by RAAC in the last four months.
Answered by Damian Hinds
An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 6 December, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information.
As of 27 November, there are 231 education settings with confirmed RAAC in some of their buildings. At the time of publication, three schools had hybrid arrangements in place, of which two are now in full time face-to-face education for all pupils and we expect the remaining school to be back in the near future. There were no education settings with confirmed RAAC where all pupils are in full-time remote learning.
Where the presence of RAAC is confirmed, responsible bodies and schools are expected to ensure that face-to-face learning continues as a priority. The department will support them to do this through dedicated caseworker teams.
Each school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from a team of caseworkers, who work with schools and colleges to assess what support is needed and implement mitigation plans that are right for them. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits its circumstances.
Where some short-term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to teaching and return pupils to face-to-face teaching as soon as possible.
As all cases are different and the support each school or college receive is bespoke, identifying the number of pupils affected is not reflective of the reality for affected cases.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of RAAC in schools on the coursework results of those studying creative subjects at (a) GCSE, (b) A-level and (c) T-level.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The safety of staff and pupils is paramount, and the department has been working at pace with schools to identify RAAC and support them to minimise disruption to pupils’ education.
The department is working closely with affected schools to ensure the best possible education for pupils and taking every step possible to remove any obstacles to learning through mitigations including temporary accommodation where this is needed and in some instances use of specialist facilities in off-site accommodation.
Alongside Ofqual, the department has worked with awarding organisations to help facilitate discussions with affected schools. The department has asked awarding organisations to be as flexible as possible in agreeing longer extensions for coursework and non-examined assessment, including for creative subjects, so that schools have as much time as possible to complete this important part of pupils' learning and qualifications.
If schools and colleges are experiencing difficulties in delivering particular GCSE, A level or T Level assessments, due to certain facilities being out of use due to RAAC or have any concerns about exams and assessments themselves being disrupted, they should speak to the relevant awarding organisation. Only the relevant awarding organisation will be able to confirm what can be done in any specific context and the specific options available.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Ofqual on the inclusion of the impact of RAAC in schools in mitigating circumstances guidelines.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The safety of staff and pupils is paramount, and the department has been working at pace with schools to identify RAAC and support them to minimise disruption to pupils’ education.
The department is working closely with affected schools to ensure the best possible education for pupils and taking every step possible to remove any obstacles to learning through mitigations including temporary accommodation where this is needed and in some instances use of specialist facilities in off-site accommodation.
Alongside Ofqual, the department has worked with awarding organisations to help facilitate discussions with affected schools. The department has asked awarding organisations to be as flexible as possible in agreeing longer extensions for coursework and non-examined assessment, including for creative subjects, so that schools have as much time as possible to complete this important part of pupils' learning and qualifications.
If schools and colleges are experiencing difficulties in delivering particular GCSE, A level or T Level assessments, due to certain facilities being out of use due to RAAC or have any concerns about exams and assessments themselves being disrupted, they should speak to the relevant awarding organisation. Only the relevant awarding organisation will be able to confirm what can be done in any specific context and the specific options available.