§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) convicted and (b) acquitted of shoplifting in Leicestershire in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will break down the figures between juveniles and adults and between males and females, respectively.
§ Mr. MellorThe information readily available to me is given in the following table:
Persons found guilty or acquitted of offences of shoplifting at all courts in Leicestershire Number of persons Found guilty Acquitted Total Aged 10 Aged 17 and and over Total Aged 10 Aged 17 and and over under 17 under 17 1981 Males 602 104 498 27 5 22 Females 386 75 311 27 2 25 Total 988 179 809 54 7 47 1982 Males 648 131 517 24 5 19 Females 424 73 351 25 2 23 Total 1,072 204 868 49 7 42
§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private prosecutions there have been for shoplifting in the last five years for which records are available; and if he will break these figures down into counties.
§ Mr. MellorThe information available centrally does not reliably distinguish private prosecutions and the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.