§ Sir A. Meyerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of shoplifting were reported to the police in the 12 months to the latest available date; in how many of those cases the accused pleaded not guilty; and in how many cases the plea of not guilty was followed by acquittal.
§ Mr. JohnIn England and Wales in 1975, 175,552 offences of shoplifting were recorded as known to the police. In the 183W same year, 69,533 persons were tried by the courts in England and Wales for offences of shoplifting, of whom 7,667 pleaded not guilty; of those who so pleaded, 3,978 were acquitted.
§ Sir A. Meyerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the ratio of acquittals to convictions in shoplifting cases is similar to that for other offences dealt with in magistrates' courts.
§ Mr. JohnIn magistrates' courts in England and Wales in 1975, 52 per cent. of persons who pleaded not guilty to charges of shoplifting had the charges against them withdrawn or dismissed. The corresponding figure for all indictable offences tried summarily was 60 per cent. Comprehensive information about non-indictable offences is not readily available.
§ Sir A. Meyerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the ratio of acquittals to convictions for shoplifting offences is broadly similar for cases heard in lay magistrates' courts and in stipendiary magistrates' courts.
§ Mr. JohnInformation collected centrally does not distinguish cases heard by lay magistrates from those heard by stipendiary magistrates.