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Written question asked by Bishop of St Albans (Bishops (affiliation)) on Monday, 2 September 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 September 2024. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Monday, 16 September 2024 on behalf of the Home Office.

Robbery and Shoplifting: Hertfordshire

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of robbery and shoplifting offences in Hertfordshire; and what steps they plan to take to tackle those crimes in that area.

Answer

Police recorded crime for England and Wales showed a 30% annual rise in shoplifting offences and 8% in robbery offences for year ending March 2024. Hertfordshire Police Force saw a 25% rise in shoplifting and a 35% rise in police recorded robbery offences in the same period.

In cases of shoplifting, more and more offenders are using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. This Government will introduce a new offence for assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We will also end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to low-value shoplifting of goods under £200.

Tackling serious violence, including robbery, is a priority for this Government. One of the ways we are doing this is through close working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Personal Robbery Steering Group.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL689
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Hertfordshire Shoplifting Robbery
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk