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<p>The Government recognises the impact shoplifting has on businesses and communities.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared
to findings from 2010; however, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences
increased by 32% in the 12 months to September 2023. Statistics also show the number
of people charged with shoplifting has risen by 34%, showing the police are acting.</p><p>
</p><p>We have recently taken significant steps to improve the police response to
retail crime, including shoplifting. In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’
Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action 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. Additionally,
where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police
National Database to aid efforts to identify offenders. This builds on the NPCC commitment
that police will follow up on all reasonable lines of enquiry.</p><p> </p><p>The Government
published an enhanced Action Plan, "Fighting Retail Crime: More action"
on 10 April. This Plan highlights key areas of work to tackle retail crime, including
introduction of a new standalone office for assaults on retail workers; additional
electronic monitoring for prolific shoplifters; and increasing use of facial recognition
technology.</p><p> </p><p>The Policing Productivity Review was published on 20 November
2023, which concludes there is the potential to free up around 38 million hours of
police time per year within five years. This equates to over 20,000 police officers.
The Government is working with policing to consider its recommendations, freeing up
police officers’ time which can be reprioritised to enable officers to spend more
time fighting crime on the front line, in line with local priorities set by Police
and Crime Commissioners. This additional police time could be used to support delivery
of the Retail Crime Action Plan. Evaluation on the impact of the Policing Productivity
Review will be part of the remit of the new Centre for Police Productivity which was
announced at the Spring Budget 2024.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to work closely
with the retail sector, security representatives, trade associations and policing
through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which meets on a quarterly
basis, to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust
as it can be.</p>
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