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<p>Since 2010 our communities are safer, with neighbourhood crimes including burglary,
robbery and theft from the person down 48% and overall violent crime down 44%, and
with more police officers on the streets than in 2010.</p><p>However, there has been
a worrying rise in shoplifting and violence towards retail workers, which we need
to address.</p><p>Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased
by 37% in the 12 months to December 2023. Although, the number of people charged with
shoplifting offences in the same period rose by 46%, showing the police are heeding
the message and taking action.</p><p>The Government has taken a number of recent significant
steps to reduce and prevent retail crime. Our plan – "Fighting retail crime:
more action" was launched on 10 April, which highlights five areas of work this
Government will drive forward to tackle retail crime. This will include us introducing
a presumption towards electronic monitoring as part of a sentence served in the community
for those who repeatedly steal from shops. We will develop a retail theft electronic
monitoring (EM) ‘package’, to offer sentencers starting in a pilot area, a clear community
sentence pathway for repeat retail theft offenders.</p><p>This builds on the police-led
Retail Crime Action Plan, which includes a commitment 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. Figures published by the NPCC show early signs of progress.</p><p>Furthermore,
we will bring forward legislative changes to introduce a presumption towards electronic
monitoring as part of a sentence served in the community for those who repeatedly
steal from shops. This legislative change will provide that on the third sentencing
occasion, an offender would be electronically monitored as part of any community sentence
or post-release for the duration of any licence period.</p><p>Under section 176 of
the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, low-value shoplifting (value
of £200 or less) is a summary offence, unless 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.</p><p>Police-led prosecutions were introduced to improve the efficiency
of the criminal justice system by allowing for a simpler, more proportionate police-led
process in high-volume, low-level, uncontested cases. This route enables cases to
be handled more speedily, rather than cases having to go to the CPS and through the
Crown Court.</p><p>Repealing this would mean victims of shoplifting have to wait longer
for cases to come to court.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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