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<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 51% 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>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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