Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any guidance has been given to police forces on how they should advise victims of crime to report (a) making off without payment, (b) shoplifting and (c) any other particular types of crime.

The Government is clear that all crimes, when they take place, should be reported to the police so they can be investigated appropriately.

This Government is giving the police the powers they need to stop crimes from happening in the first place, including through supporting them to roll out a range of interventions, such as practical crime prevention advice, improved CCTV and street lighting through our Safer Streets Fund.

Partnership working between businesses and the police is vital to ensuring an effective response to crimes like shoplifting and making off without payment. The Home Office works closely with the police and other crime prevention partners like Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) and the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), to ensure we are consistently getting the basics right and to encourage the sharing of best practice, including reiterating the value of taking Victim and Business Impact Statements.

It is for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) as operational leaders and locally elected representatives to decide how best to deploy resources, manage and respond to individual crimes and local crime priorities.