§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of recorded cases of shoplifting in 1979; and how many resulted in acquittals.
§ Mr. BrittanIn 1979, some 203,000 offences of shoplifting were recorded by the police in England and Wales, about the same number as in 1978. Information on court proceedings in 1979 is not yet available, but in 1978 of the 80,000 people tried in England and Wales for shoplifting about 5,000 were not convicted.