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<p>We know there has been a worrying rise in shoplifting, which we need to address.</p><p>Police
Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 32% in the 12 months
to September 2023. However, the number of people charged with shoplifting offences
in the same period rose by 34%, showing that Police are heeding the message.</p><p>The
publication of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan, published
in October 2023, 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.</p><p>Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured,
police will run this through the Police National Database as standard using facial
recognition technology to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially
dangerous individuals.</p><p>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.</p><p>October
also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership that will radically
improve the way retailers are able to share intelligence with policing, to better
understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.
This will include development of a new information sharing platform and training for
retailers.</p><p>The Sentencing Code is a consolidation of existing sentencing procedure
law. It brings together over 50 pieces of primary legislation relating to sentencing
procedure into one single piece of legislation, in the Sentencing Act 2020. It includes
general provisions relating to sentencing procedure, the different types of sentences
available to the courts, and certain behaviour orders that can be imposed in addition
to a sentence. Since the Sentencing Act came into force, it has been amended following
changes to the law relating to sentencing procedure. The Code is not designed, however,
to apply to specific offences.</p>
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