§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the Metropolitan police are authorised to co-operate with retailers when thefts allegedly occur from their businesses while those businesses are at the time trading illegally;
(2) how many police officers have been involved in dealing with theft from retail and wholesale premises which themselves are trading in contravention of the law;
(3) what guidelines his Department has issued to police forces regarding their response to businesses who report alleged thefts from their premises, when those businesses are themselves open in contravention of the law.
§ Mr. Peter LloydNo guidelines have been issued. The investigation of alleged criminal offences and the decision whether to initiate proceedings in a particular case are operational matters for the chief officer of the police force concerned. The Home Secretary has no authority to intervene.
Information about the number of police officers dealing with such incidents is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
It is the policy of the Metropolitan police service to investigate any allegation of crime, regardless of the legal status of the victim.