Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Retail Crime

Monday 25 November 2024 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to rebuilding neighbourhood policing by introducing 13,000 new officers
  • Scrapping the 200 limit on shoplifting and introducing a new offence for assaulting retail workers
  • Government acknowledges need for partnerships and rehabilitation programmes to tackle retail crime

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chris Ward Lab Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Shop theft reached a record high in the last year of the previous Government, leading to intolerable levels of abuse against shop workers.

Question

What steps she is taking to help tackle retail crime. Shop theft and abuse against shop workers have escalated to unacceptable levels. How will her Government address this issue?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

This Government is committed to rebuilding neighbourhood policing, scrapping the £200 limit on shoplifting, and introducing a new stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker.

Partly answered
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Q2 Chris McDonald Lab Stockton North
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

A report by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers states that shop workers' risk of workplace assault has doubled in the last year. The USDAW's Freedom from Fear campaign aims to remove certain types of immunity introduced by the previous Conservative Government.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend join me in commending USDAW's Freedom from Fear campaign and affirm that the Government's commitment to removing immunity for shoplifting will proceed at pace?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The Government is committed to introducing a new stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker in the forthcoming crime and policing Bill alongside scrapping the £200 limit.

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Q3 Tom Rutland Lab East Worthing and Shoreham
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Shoplifting has become so severe that it is now described as an epidemic in the constituency of East Worthing and Shoreham.

Question

How does my right hon. Friend plan to tackle this issue, so that shoppers and businesses can operate with confidence?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The Government plans to restore neighbourhood policing by introducing 13,000 new officers, respect orders, abolishing the £200 threshold limit, and establishing a stand-alone offence of assaulting a shop worker.

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Q4 Chris Ward Lab Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Nine out of ten shops visited in the constituency reported staff attacks, while all reported daily occurrences of shoplifting. The questioner suggests extra resources, policing, and offender rehabilitation programmes.

Question

Does the Minister agree that we should look at programmes such as offender to rehab schemes to tackle the causes of retail crime?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The Minister agrees that tackling issues around rehabilitation for offenders, including treatment for addiction where appropriate, is important alongside other measures.

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Q5 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The highest increase in shoplifting offences between 2023 and 2024 was seen in Bath, a popular tourist destination.

Question

What can the Government do for my constituency of Bath to ensure a more visible police presence?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The neighbourhood policing model that this Labour Government supports is crucial, as shop theft has become an epidemic.

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Q6 Ben Obese-Jecty Con Huntingdon
Policing & Resources
Context

Under the Home Secretary's plans, one police officer would cover St Ives and surrounding villages. The previous Policing Minister did not commit to reviewing the police allocation formula.

Question

How can one officer be expected to effectively cover such a large area when Cambridgeshire is likely to receive only a handful of officers?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The Government committed to restoring neighbourhood policing, bringing in 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and specials.

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Q7 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Operation Wonderland, a partnership between West Norfolk police and local bodies including the council, CCTV operators, street rangers, and shop workers, has been launched.

Question

Does the Minister recognise that partnerships like Operation Wonderland are key to tackling organised retail crime?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The hon. Gentleman is correct; policing alone cannot deal with this issue, and we need to work hand-in-hand with businesses and trade unions.

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Q8 Matt Vickers Con Stockton West
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The question addresses the effectiveness of previous Conservative government's policies in tackling retail crime, specifically mentioning increased frontline police funding.

Question

One of the best ways to help tackle retail crime is to put more police on the streets. The last Conservative Government did just that, delivering record numbers of police with more funding than ever before. This year, the Conservative Government increased frontline police funding by £922 million. Will the Minister commit to matching or even improving that figure next year?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

I do not know if it is just amnesia on that side of the House, but I think the Shadow Minister needs to reflect on what we actually inherited: PCSOs cut by 50%, specials down by two thirds and over 20,000 police officers cut under the Conservative Administration. So a little bit of humility about what they have left us with would go down very well.

Not addressed: commitment to match or increase frontline police funding next year

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