The UK’s Justice and Home Affairs Committee has published a letter to the Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson MP, recommending a range of measures to deal with the epidemic of shop theft facing retailers.
The Lords Committee made the recommendations after conducting an inquiry into shop theft where it heard from different stakeholders involved in retail, academia and crime prevention on ways to improve reporting, reduce reoffending, and improve retailers’ confidence in the police.
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) gave evidence to the Lords Committee in September of this year, sharing the experiences of members with reporting shop theft, the challenges of reporting crime, and the perceived lack of action from the police when thefts are reported to get repeat offenders off the streets.
The Lords Committee’s report recognised the role of organised crime groups that are targeting the retail sector on a regular basis, stealing products to sell on, and the importance of the Pegasus initiative in identifying prolific offenders. In the report, the Committee outlined concern about the long-term viability of Pegasus without a renewed commitment from the Home Office.
The report also welcomed measures set out by the UK Government on the introduction of a separate offence for attacking a retail worker (which is already a law in Scotland), and the removal of the £200 threshold for theft as a summary only offence.
There were 15 recommendations set out in the report from the Lords Committee, including:
- Phasing out the use of the word ‘shoplifting’ which trivialises a serious, often organised crime that has a devastating effect on the retail sector
- Prioritising community-based interventions aimed at reducing reoffending and rehabilitation
- The development of improved reporting systems to expedite the process of reporting crimes
- Continuing the Home Office’s funding for Pegasus for at least a second year
Lord Foster of Bath, Chair of the 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 17 million 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.”
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.”
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.
