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A House of Lords inquiry has declared that shoplifting is at “unacceptable” levels and currently not being tackled adequately. The report, which was created by the Justice and Home Affairs Committee in May and September, states that the crime is seriously underreported, with the committee labelling the issue “urgent” and calling for the police to take “immediate action”. Among their suggestions were the introduction of regulations that would make it harder to sell stolen goods online anonymously, more funding for offender rehabilitation, and retailers being able to report crimes more easily. The government has been called on to make changes.
The Home Office has stated that it is already deploying “thousands” of police officers dedicated to the issue, and has also vowed to make assaults on shop workers a criminal offence. Shop theft has been in the public eye ever since it was revealed that there have been over 440,000 incidents of shop theft recorded in one month alone this year; in March 2024, there were over 443,000 incidents of shop theft, the highest number since records began 20 years ago would suggest that this trend is far from changing soon.
In an effort to combat shoplifting gangs, some retailers have partnered with the police to launch Project Pegasus. While the initiative has received the support of the committee, it was also noted that more must be done to deal with local offenders too, and that there is a widespread perception that shop theft is not taken seriously by the police, which puts the confidence of the wider criminal justice system at risk. Shoplifting is estimated to cost the retail sector close to £2bn per year, which the report claims results in price rises that negatively impact individuals, families, and communities.
Lord Foster of Bath, chair of the committee, believes that “the scale of the shop theft problem within England and Wales is totally unacceptable and action, like that under way in the Pegasus scheme, is vital and urgent.” The committee has made several recommendations to the government in the hopes of tackling the issue, including phasing out the term “shoplifting”, which trivialises the severity of the offence, improving reporting systems, increasing the funding available to the community-based reoffending and rehabilitation initiatives, introducing regulations that make it harder to sell online marketplaces anonymously, and introducing best practice guidance for the use of facial recognition technology by private companies.
Retail entrepreneur Tracey Robertson, who has a small chain of pet shops in Yorkshire, among other commentators, has expressed that the recommendations of the committee do not go far enough, calling for tougher sentences for repeat offenders. Criminology Professor Emmeline Taylor, who gave evidence to the inquiry, has praised the committee’s recommendations as “far-reaching” and stated that they understand the multiple root causes of shop theft. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has welcomed the report but has not given any indication of further action at this stage. The Home Office has made several promises to take action, such as increasing the number of police on the streets and creating a Retail Crime Forum
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