Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people served prison sentences following convictions for burglary in each year since 2010.
Answered by Gareth Bacon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Data on the number of prisoners serving sentences for burglary offences are routinely published within the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication. Please see annual Tables A1.5i (Row 64; for data for 2015 onwards) and A1.5ii (Row 18; for data covering 2010 - 2014).
Data on the number of prisoners serving sentences for shoplifting offences (for 2015 onwards) are routinely published in Row 76 of Table A1.5i. The offence categories used in the underlying prison population datasets before 2015 did not include shoplifting as a specific offence (i.e. it was included in a broader ‘Other Theft’ category). As such data for the number of prisoners serving sentences for shoplifting from 2010 – 2014 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost to the department as we would need to conduct a manual search of prisoner records for those with an ‘Other Theft’ offence to establish the number with mentions of ‘Shoplifting’ in the court summary.
Tables A1.5i and A1.5ii can be found at the following link:
Oral Evidence May. 21 2024
Inquiry: Tackling ShopliftingFound: For me, shoplifting falls into three categories.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to increase the presence of police community support officers in town centres.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is clear that violent and abusive behaviour towards any public-facing worker is never acceptable. We take this issue very seriously and recognise the implications on businesses as well as the victims.
The Government took a significant step and legislated to introduce a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing worker via section 156 of the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This ensures the public facing nature of a victim’s role will be considered an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing for assault offences.
We keep all legislation under review. Under section 176 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the shoplifting of goods of a value of £200 or less is a summary offence unless the defendant, if an adult, elects to be tried in the Crown Court. Where a summary offence is committed, the case can be handled as a police-led prosecution. There is a misconception this is used as a threshold by police forces, so that if the value of goods stolen is under £200, police will not respond. No police force has such a policy and this summary offence for shoplifting does not prevent police taking action against shoplifters.
The Government has recently made significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime. In October, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (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. This builds on the commitment made by the NPCC in August 2023 that all police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.
Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are a valued part of the police workforce, as a key liaison point to help resolve local issues and foster good community relations.
Decisions around recruitment and retention of PCSOs and the powers and duties they have are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
Correspondence Apr. 29 2024
Committee: Public Accounts CommitteeFound: Additionally, police recorded crime data shows a notable uptick in shoplifting , which may suggest
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on a new standalone criminal offence to protect retail workers from violence and abuse.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is clear that violent and abusive behaviour towards any public-facing worker is never acceptable. We take this issue very seriously and recognise the implications on businesses as well as the victims.
The Government took a significant step and legislated to introduce a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing worker via section 156 of the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This ensures the public facing nature of a victim’s role will be considered an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing for assault offences.
We keep all legislation under review. Under section 176 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the shoplifting of goods of a value of £200 or less is a summary offence unless the defendant, if an adult, elects to be tried in the Crown Court. Where a summary offence is committed, the case can be handled as a police-led prosecution. There is a misconception this is used as a threshold by police forces, so that if the value of goods stolen is under £200, police will not respond. No police force has such a policy and this summary offence for shoplifting does not prevent police taking action against shoplifters.
The Government has recently made significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime. In October, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (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. This builds on the commitment made by the NPCC in August 2023 that all police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.
Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are a valued part of the police workforce, as a key liaison point to help resolve local issues and foster good community relations.
Decisions around recruitment and retention of PCSOs and the powers and duties they have are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
Mentions:
1: Laura Farris (Con - Newbury) Harvey Redgrave: Shoplifting is a real concern and we need some deterrents in the system, but I am not - Speech Link
2: Stephen Metcalfe (Con - South Basildon and East Thurrock) You mentioned that you did not think that there was any need to increase the sentence for shoplifting - Speech Link
3: Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South) That might include a shoplifting offence. - Speech Link
4: Alex Cunningham (Lab - Stockton North) For the record, can you tell us why shoplifting and related crime does not get the attention it requires - Speech Link
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of levels of theft from shops (a) nationally and (b) in Suffolk.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office works closely with retailers and trade associations such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), and police partners via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to understand the crime trends retailers are experiencing and to work together to tackle these issues.
The NRCSG has produced practical resources to provide guidance on partnership working and encourage engagement with Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs) to help ensure businesses and police can work effectively together to identify the trends and types of crimes that affect businesses and to ensure incidents are dealt with appropriately at a local level.
In addition, the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) co-ordinates Safer Action Business Days (SABA), where police, BCRPs and retailers work in partnership to carry out days of action to prevent crime against businesses, including shoplifting.
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of shoplifting offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. These are available at Police Force Area and can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
The table below shows the police recorded crime figures for Suffolk
Number of shoplifting offences recorded by the police in England and Wales (excluding Devon and Cornwall) | |||
Year | Suffolk | England & Wales* | |
2015/16 | 3,707 | 330,622 | |
2016/17 | 3,751 | 363,349 | |
2017/18 | 4,145 | 374,646 | |
2018/19 | 4,171 | 367,725 | |
2019/20 | 4,155 | 353,053 | |
2020/21 | 2,174 | 224,343 | |
2021/22 | 2,582 | 270,410 | |
YE Dec 21 | 2,396 | 251,774 | |
YE Dec 22 | 3,114 | 309,511 | |
Many shoplifting offences are not reported to the police. The 2021 Commercial Victimisation Survey, which provides estimates of crime against the Wholesale and Retail sector in England and Wales, showed that 25% of premises were victims of theft by customers in the 12 months prior to taking part in the survey. Of those victims, 39% said they experienced customer theft once a week or more.
Asked by: Findlay, Russell (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - West Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any funding for policing set out in the Scottish Budget 2024-25 will be directed towards tackling retail crime, including shoplifting and abuse and violence towards shop workers.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
The Scottish Government recognises the significant disruption and harm to both businesses and individuals from retail crime and continues to support the innovative Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE) strategy.
The partnership is led by Police Scotland working with retailers and other organisations including Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland, with a focus on the prevention, deterrence and where appropriate enforcement. The Strategy seeks to minimise opportunities for this type of crime, protect individuals and businesses, and deliver clear advice and guidance for prevention.
We will invest £1.55 billion in policing in 2024-25. Specific decisions on deployment of resources are a matter for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority.
I would urge retailers and customers to continue to engage with Police Scotland and other partners to help safeguard their business, the people that work there and their community.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of theft from shops in Suffolk.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office works closely with retailers and trade associations such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), and police partners via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to understand the crime trends retailers are experiencing and to work together to tackle these issues.
The NRCSG has produced practical resources to provide guidance on partnership working and encourage engagement with Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs) to help ensure businesses and police can work effectively together to identify the trends and types of crimes that affect businesses and to ensure incidents are dealt with appropriately at a local level.
In addition, the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) co-ordinates Safer Action Business Days (SABA), where police, BCRPs and retailers work in partnership to carry out days of action to prevent crime against businesses, including shoplifting.
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of shoplifting offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. These are available at Police Force Area and can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
The table below shows the police recorded crime figures for Suffolk
Number of shoplifting offences recorded by the police in England and Wales (excluding Devon and Cornwall) | |||
Year | Suffolk | England & Wales* | |
2015/16 | 3,707 | 330,622 | |
2016/17 | 3,751 | 363,349 | |
2017/18 | 4,145 | 374,646 | |
2018/19 | 4,171 | 367,725 | |
2019/20 | 4,155 | 353,053 | |
2020/21 | 2,174 | 224,343 | |
2021/22 | 2,582 | 270,410 | |
YE Dec 21 | 2,396 | 251,774 | |
YE Dec 22 | 3,114 | 309,511 | |
Many shoplifting offences are not reported to the police. The 2021 Commercial Victimisation Survey, which provides estimates of crime against the Wholesale and Retail sector in England and Wales, showed that 25% of premises were victims of theft by customers in the 12 months prior to taking part in the survey. Of those victims, 39% said they experienced customer theft once a week or more.
Mentions:
1: Alex Norris (LAB - Nottingham North) All the different sources of data show a significant trend: an uptick in shoplifting, organised crime - Speech Link
2: Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South) I will just make it clear at the start that we in Government and policing take this recent rise in shoplifting - Speech Link