Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the consistent implementation of the Retail Crime Action Plan across police forces, in the context of recent trends in levels of violence and abuse against retail workers in Mid Leicestershire constituency.

The government is supporting a new strategy, Tackling Retail Crime Together, published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.

The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers via the Retail Crime Action Plan but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.

We are investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.