The Minister of State, Home Office () (Con):...The
noble Lord, , pressed me on this and I
will say that there are a number of legal safeguards, including
statutory codes of practice and the use of body-worn video, to
ensure that officers are accountable during a search, including
any conducted under the powers in the Misuse of Drugs Act. We
publish extensive data on these powers, which allow Police and Crime
Commissioners and others to hold forces to account.
HMICFRS also inspects force level disparities and the use of stop
and search as part of its regular inspection programme. I assure
the Committee that no one should be subject to the use of stop
and search powers based on their race or ethnicity, and that
safeguards exist to prevent this...
(Con):...Let me be
clear: shoplifting offences involving the theft of goods up to
£200 can and should be pursued by the police as a criminal
offence. Section 176 has no bearing on the ability of the Crown
Prosecution Service to prosecute a person for theft from a shop
or on the courts’ powers to punish offenders. The Government
highlighted this in their response to the call for evidence in
July 2020. In September 2020, the Minister for Crime and Policing
reiterated the message in a letter to Police
and Crime Commissioners and chief constables, to
ensure that the intention of Section 176 of the 2014 Act was
understood. The Minister stated:
“Section 176 of the 2014 Act does not constrain the ability of
the police to arrest or prosecute someone in the way they feel is
most appropriate.”
I would like to highlight the programme of work under way by the
National Retail Crime Steering Group, which the Minister for
Crime and Policing co-chairs with the British Retail
Consortium—specifically Tom Ironside, who is the director of
business and regulation. The steering group brings together the
Government, retailers, trades unions and trade associations, the
Association of Police and Crime
Commissioners and the police-led National Business
Crime Centre to help ensure that the response to retail crime,
including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be. Through the
steering group, six task and finish groups were created. They
have published free to use, downloadable resources for retailers
and employees, including information to assist with reporting
these crimes and guidance on how to effectively share the
information effectively with other businesses and the police, so
that crimes can be investigated and appropriate action taken
against offenders...
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