Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of trends in the level of retail crime on convenience store closures in England.

The Home Office has not made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of retail crime on convenience store closures in England.

I regularly engage with the retail sector through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to keep abreast of crime experienced by the sector. The NRCSG meets quarterly and comprises of senior representatives from policing, the retail sector, and retail trade associations including the Association of Convenience Stores and British Independent Retailers Association, alongside Government departments.

All police forces in England and Wales have made a commitment, through the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan, to prioritise police attendance at the scene of retail crime where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. This commitment applies to all retailers, including convenience stores, and will help to drive down the level of retail crime.

The Retail Crime Action Plan was launched in October and is published here: NPCC Retail Crime Action Plan