§ 3. Sir A. Meyerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call a conference of chief constables to discuss with them the possibility of adopting a common policy regarding prosecution in cases of shoplifting.
The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Dr. Shirley Summer-skill)No. Sir. Decisions about prosecutions are within the responsibility of chief officers of police and not of my right hon. Friend.
§ Sir A. MeyerWould not it be better for the police to decide in each individual case—bearing in mind all the personal circumstances—whether prosecutions were justified rather than leave it to some 741 stores to pursue an indiscriminate policy of prosecution in order to provide for the fact that their own security arrangements are sometimes extremely defective?
§ Dr. SummerskillThe hon. Gentleman has raised a different matter about the right of stores to undertake private prosecutions. On the original Question, chief officers of police have recently studied their practice in prosecuting for shoplifting and have agreed on some standard procedures that are designed to lead to greater uniformity of practice. The Home Office research unit will be studying the reasons for, and the extent of, variations in prosecution for shoplifting.
§ Mr. AdleyIs not the Minister aware that an increasing number of people in the police force, magistrates and probation officers are concerned that the trading methods of some stores are responsible for the spiralling number of allegations of shoplifting? Can she do something towards helping those of us who are interested in the problem to find out how many people who come up on these offences are on a serious criminal charge for the first time in their lives?
§ Dr. SummerskillThe research unit is looking into shops, police and the courts and will find out the statistics that the hon. Member has requested. But it is a difficult thing for which to find accurate statistics.