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<p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><ul><li></li><li></li><li></li><li></li><li></li></ul><p
/><p /><p> </p><p>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 48% compared to findings from the year ending March
2010.</p><p>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 offences has risen by 34% in the year ending September 2023,
showing that police are taking action.</p><p>We have recently taken significant steps
to improve the police response to retail crime, including shoplifting.</p><p>In October
2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.npcc.police.uk%2Fresources%2Fe6e5n-gfsgg-qru39-qjnkc-dbait&data=05%7C02%7CRebecca.Khosla2%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C2866bb4a3f554fdf3e4208dc014e95e9%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C638386684221640764%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=k3DpuJZSdEOv4zGEcy3P7WC8Cajku%2F9%2BKH6vpSTM2Y4%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">Retail Crime Action Plan</a>. 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. 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.</p><p>This builds on the NPCC commitment
that 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.</p><p>October
also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership, which involves
retailers providing data, intelligence and evidence to Opal, the national police intelligence
unit on organised acquisitive crime, to develop a better strategic picture and help
forces crack down on serious offenders.</p><p>The Government’s plan – <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fighting-retail-crime-more-action"
target="_blank">"Fighting retail crime: more action"</a> was launched on
10 April, which highlights five areas of work this Government will drive forward to
tackle retail crime:</p><ul><li>Introducing a standalone offence for assaults on retail
workers;</li><li>Additional electronic monitoring for prolific shoplifters;</li><li>Working
with police and businesses to roll out the latest facial recognition to catch these
perpetrators;</li><li>Championing good practice to design out crime; and</li><li>Making
it easier for retailers to report crime.</li></ul><p>This builds on the police-led
Retail Crime Action Plan.</p><p>We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses,
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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