To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were for shoplifting in each of the last three years; and what proportion of those arrested tested positive for illicit drugs. (191382)

Data on arrests collected by the Ministry of Justice provide information on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), aggregated by main offence group, i.e. violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, etc. More detailed data about specific offences such as shoplifting do not form part of this collection. In the light of that, the data are not available in the requested format.

Since 2003, drug testing of offenders for specified class A drugs (heroin, cocaine/crack cocaine) in some police custody suites has operated as part of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). Under DIP, offenders who are arrested/charged with a trigger offence (including ‘theft’ offences, which also includes shoplifting offences) in DIP intensive areas (those areas with high levels of drug-related crime) are required to undergo a drug test.

The proportion of individuals who tested positive for heroin and/or crack cocaine following arrest/charge for ‘theft’ offences (including shoplifting) as part of the DIP programme in the last three years for which we have data are shown as follows:

It should be noted that the reduction in the positive test rate reflects the introduction of the power to test on arrest rather than just at the charge stage. Data is not available for all illicit drugs as DIP only tests for specified CLASS A drugs (heroin, cocaine/crack cocaine) and that only some custody suites have drug testing.

Where individuals test positive for heroin and/or cocaine/crack cocaine, they are required to undergo an assessment of their drug use and treatment needs with a drug worker. Failure to attend can result in a criminal charge. Since 2003, more than 115,000 drug misusers have entered treatment through DIP.

Figures from a voluntary survey of police arrestees (the Arrestee Survey, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 12/07 (2007)), show that 54 per cent. of those reporting regular (weekly) use of heroin or crack cocaine (HC) reported shoplifting in the four weeks prior to arrest. Among those arrested for shoplifting, 37 per cent. self-reported weekly use of HC.