Shop theft needs urgent action, says Lords Committee

A Lords Select Committee has called out the government for not ‘effectively’ tackling shop theft.

In a letter to the Home Office, the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has published a list of recommendations to the government in order to reduce incidents of theft.

These include:

• Phasing out the use of the outdated term “shoplifting” which serves to trivialise the severity of the offence
• Supporting the plan to repeal the offence of “low-value shoplifting” under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, which in practice is decriminalising shop theft where the value of the goods does not exceed £200
• Supporting the creation of a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker
• Developing improved reporting systems to enable retailers to report crime to the police quickly and easily
• Improving mechanisms for police and criminal justice systems to recognise and record when a crime has taken place in a retail setting
• Increasing funding to community-based reoffending and rehabilitation initiatives
• Targeting the stolen goods market with public awareness campaigns
• Introducing regulations and best practice guidance for the use of facial recognition technology by private companies

Lord Foster of Bath, chair of the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee, said: “In March 2024, 443,9953 incidents of shop theft were recorded by police – a 30% increase on the previous year and the highest-ever level since comparable records began over twenty years ago.

“But the figures are a drop in the ocean when compared with likely real figures estimated at 17m with devastating consequences for businesses and families.

“The scale of the shop theft problem within England and Wales is totally unacceptable and action, like that underway in the Pegasus scheme, is vital and urgent. There’s no silver bullet. But, if adopted, the recommendations in our report should help tackle the problem and help keep the public and our economy safer.”

The letter included estimates that theft is cost the retail sector almost £2bn last year, adding that it is now a lucrative profit-making opportunity which is being exploited by organised networks of criminals.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We strongly welcome the recommendations of the Committee which are sensible measures aimed at prioritising shop theft response both locally and nationally, as well as improving reporting rates. We know that millions of incidents of theft go unreported every year because retailers feel as though nothing will be done, which is a trend that we need to reverse or risk effectively decriminalising theft. Theft is a damaging crime, committed by organised groups that are stealing to order and take advantage of people struggling with the cost of living.

“We are looking forward to continuing working with the Home Office and Police and Crime Commissioners across the country to put in place the recommendations of the report and close the gap between reported crime and the reality of the situation in local shops.”

The Committee also acknowledged that shop theft is not treated seriously by the police, and that there is need for a quicker reporting system, better data collection and intelligence sharing between police forces across the UK.

Existing schemes such as Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and Pegasus, the letter explained, are welcome, but should all be part of the National Standards Accreditation Scheme.

The Committee also said it recognises the pressures on police resources, but shop theft requires immediate action within existing police staffing levels.

In the Budget last week, the Chancellor announced that it was taking action to deal with the sharp rise in shop theft, providing additional funding to tackle the organised gang that target retailers.

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