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<p>The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses,
communities and consumers.</p><p>The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood
crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, Police
Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 25% in the 12 months
to June 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences
has risen by 29% in the year ending June 2023. That’s a welcome indication that the
police are heeding the message and are giving greater attention to shoplifting. The
Home Office does not hold specific information relating to shoplifting offences attended
by the police.</p><p>Over recent months I have worked with representatives of the
retail sector and senior police leaders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council
(NPCC) leads for Acquisitive Crime, Retail Crime, Business Crime and the National
Business Crime Centre, to improve the police response to</p><p>shoplifting. These
conversations resulted in the development of the NPCC’s Retail Crime Action Plan.</p><p>In
October, the NPCC published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police
forces in 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.</p><p>Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are
secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid
efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals. Police
forces use the facial matching facility on the Police National Database which contains
images of people previously arrested. The UK passport database is searched on a limited
basis in support of the most serious law enforcement investigations.</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. Retailers can assist police by providing CCTV footage
and images, which is best shared electronically via a Digital Evidence Management
System.</p><p>The Home Office does not hold data on police attendance at retail crime
incidents. The NPCC is exploring how this data could be captured by police forces
to show attendance in line with the commitments in the Retail Crime Action Plan.</p><p>The
Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police in England and Wales,
as part of the annual ‘<a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistics%2Fstop-and-search-and-arrests-year-ending-march-2023&data=05%7C02%7CPippa.Cousins%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7Cd8df91da99ff46de28fc08dc10f9dc65%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C638403912535493709%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=egB2VA2a8i%2Fn7Q%2B4GtHifHl5gp%2FSGfmO4Zm17A8aPD8%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">Police Powers and Procedures: Stop and search and arrests</a>’ statistical
release. The Home Office does not hold information relating to citizens arrests.</p>
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