Apr. 10 2024
Source Page: Fighting retail crime: more actionFound: Fighting retail crime: more action
Apr. 10 2024
Source Page: Fighting retail crime: more actionFound: Fighting retail crime: more action
Apr. 10 2024
Source Page: Prime Minister launches retail crime crackdownFound: Prime Minister launches retail crime crackdown
Apr. 15 2024
Source Page: I. Fighting retail crime: more action April 2024. 23p. II. Letter dated 10/04/2024 from James Cleverly MP to Diana Johnson MP regarding publication of the Government’s plan to tackle retail crime. 2p.Found: Fighting retail crime: more action April 2024. 23p. II.
Apr. 15 2024
Source Page: I. Fighting retail crime: more action April 2024. 23p. II. Letter dated 10/04/2024 from James Cleverly MP to Diana Johnson MP regarding publication of the Government’s plan to tackle retail crime. 2p.Found: Fighting retail crime: more action April 2024. 23p. II.
Correspondence Apr. 17 2024
Committee: Home Affairs Committee (Department: Home Office)Found: Letter from the Home Secretary regarding the publication of ‘Fighting Retail Crime: More Action’, dated
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of trends in the level of retail crime on convenience store closures in England.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of retail crime on convenience store closures in England.
I regularly engage with the retail sector through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to keep abreast of crime experienced by the sector. The NRCSG meets quarterly and comprises of senior representatives from policing, the retail sector, and retail trade associations including the Association of Convenience Stores and British Independent Retailers Association, alongside Government departments.
All police forces in England and Wales have made a commitment, through the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan, to prioritise police attendance at the scene of retail crime 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. This commitment applies to all retailers, including convenience stores, and will help to drive down the level of retail crime.
The Retail Crime Action Plan was launched in October and is published here: NPCC Retail Crime Action Plan
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise 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 aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.
This builds on the NPCC commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there are reasonable lines of enquiry, actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.
Early indications suggest that there has been improved police attendance at the retail crime incidents prioritised. This has been echoed by major retailers.
Though this is a welcome step from policing, we know more needs to be done. That’s why, on 10 April, we launched the Government’s plan – "Fighting retail crime: more action" which highlights five areas of work this Government will drive forward to tackle retail crime:
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential role of technology in tackling theft and violence in convenience stores across the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting and violence towards shopworkers has on businesses, communities, and consumers, and supports the use of emerging technologies to prevent and detect crime where it is necessary, proportionate, and fair.
In October, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all forces across 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.
The plan encourages the use of technology; where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this as standard through the Police National Database using facial recognition technology to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.
Innovative technologies have huge potential to cut crime and reduce the cost of crime to businesses, as well as making workplaces and communities safer. The Government is keen to support increased adoption of these technologies, to prevent crime, recognising this must be done in a lawful and proportionate way with due consideration given to privacy. We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group to discuss how technology can be used to tackle retail crime.
The National Business Crime Centre has been running workshops with retailers and Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) providers to support the use of DEMS to help assist in sharing evidence with the police.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
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 - Minister of State (Home Office)
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.