Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of reported retail thefts have resulted in a charge in each of the last five years.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of shoplifting offences and their investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis.

The proportion of shoplifting offences which resulted in a “Charge/Summonsed” outcome can be derived from the Outcomes Open Data tables, which can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Retail theft reached record levels under the previous Government and while the latest figures show a rise in the proportion of retail thefts resulting in a charge or summons there is more to be done.

This Government will end the effective imunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods under £200 and will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect hardworking and dedicated staff who work in stores.