Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether offences of shop theft of goods worth £200 or less are classified summary-only crimes since the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Section 176 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 inserted into the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 a deeming provision (section 22A) whereby shop theft of goods worth £200 or less (‘low-value shoplifting’) is treated as a summary only offence unless the accused elects to be tried by a judge and jury.