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Shoplifting

Volume 453: debated on Thursday 23 November 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Sentencing Guidelines Council on sentences for convicted shoplifters; and if he will make a statement. (100961)

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has not met the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) to discuss sentences for convicted shoplifters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted for shoplifting in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997; and how many people received (a) custodial sentences, (b) fixed penalty notices, (c) community orders and (d) police cautions for shoplifting in Cambridgeshire in each year. (100678)

The requested court proceedings data are provided in the following table.

In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme, brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales in 2004, gives the police powers to issue persons believed to be committing offences of shoplifting with an £80 fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. The number of PNDs issued for shoplifting in the Cambridgeshire police force area were six in 2004, 148 in 2005 and 116 in 2006—January to June provisional.

Number of offenders cautioned and persons found guilty of ‘theft from shop’, with sentence breakdowns Cambridgeshire police force area, 1997 to 20041, 2

Of which:

Cautioned

Found guilty

Sentenced

Community sentence

Immediate custody

Otherwise dealt with

Other3

1997

450

502

503

96

35

5

367

1998

411

594

591

118

56

16

401

1999

433

704

701

120

82

14

485

2000

532

872

869

238

101

14

516

2001

430

895

897

264

122

15

496

2002

428

857

853

330

97

14

412

2003

420

791

791

281

113

15

382

2004

550

717

716

272

86

15

343

1 These data are on the principal offence basis. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Includes defendants fined and given an absolute/conditional discharge. Source: RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform