The Justice & Home Affairs Committee has set out 15 measures to tackle shop theft after its new inquiry found it to be a “seriously under-reported crime … not being tackled properly”.
The committee laid out its recommendations in a letter to Diana Johnson, the minister for policing, crime & fire prevention, published today, to address the “widespread perception that shop theft is not treated seriously by the police and criminal justice system”.
It highlighted that 443,995 incidents of shop theft were recorded by police in the year to March 2024, according to the Office of National Statistics. This marked the highest-ever figure since records began 20 years ago, but were “a drop in the ocean” compared with the real crime rate, which is estimated to be 17 million incidents annually [BRC].
“We acknowledge the pressures on police resources, but we believe that the urgency of the situation relating to shop theft requires immediate action within existing police staffing levels,” the letter said.
It has, therefore, suggested a swathe of new measures to kickstart the necessary action. These include phasing out the word ‘shoplifting’, which “trivialises a serious and often organised crime”, and prioritising community-based interventions aimed at reducing reoffending and rehabilitation.
Other recommendations include developing systems that can speed up the process of reporting crimes, and that a “retail flag” system is introduced so police can identify when theft and violence offences have taken place in a retail setting.
The letter also addressed the Project Pegasus initiative, a business and policing partnership that launched last year in a bid to build a comprehensive intelligence picture of organised crime gangs targeting stores.
“We welcome the successes of Pegasus so far, but we are concerned about the long-term viability of the partnership without a longer-term commitment from the Home Office,” the letter said. “We recommend that the Home Office’s funding for Pegasus should continue for at least a second year.”
The ACS has welcomed the findings of the new inquiry. CEO 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,” he added. “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 Rachel Reeves announced that the government would provide additional funding to tackle the organised gangs that target retailers.
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