BRC slams Home Office: “Sorry” is not enough!

Home Office proposals to allow first-time shoplifters off if they simply say “Sorry” are being slammed by UK retailers, who have grave fears that the Government is now preparing to be even more lenient on criminals who target shops, writes Brian Sims.

In publishing its official response to the Home Office consultation period on revised measures for tackling anti-social behaviour – which closed on Tuesday 6 February – the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggests that retailers are now “seriously concerned” about plans to extend the existing system of ‘on the spot’ fines for first offences to include repeat offenders (with an ‘on the street apology’ introduced for the first criminal act).

Retailers firmly believe that fixed penalty notices – introduced less than three years ago for shoplifting offences – are being routinely abused. They say that, in a number of cases, they are being incorrectly applied without the victim’s consent, to repeat offenders and for offences where goods worth more than £200 have been stolen (fines should not be issued for offences where goods worth more than that sum have been stolen). Extending the use of on-the-spot fines will further dilute penalties for shop crime, which costs the industry something in the region of £2.1 billion per annum. According to the BRC, offenders will simply be given a green light to re-offend.

“The average shoplifter makes off with £149 worth of goods every time they steal,” asserts Kevin Hawkins, director general at the BRC. “It is a complete nonsense to think that a repeat offender is going to be dissuaded by an £80 fine. On another level, what kind of message does it send to a first-time offender if all they have to do is say a quick ‘Sorry’ before they head off home?”

“The Home Office simply doesn’t understand the nature of the crime,” added Hawkins. “It is not some victimless bit of naughtiness. Shop theft carries with it a significant human and social cost, leaves shop staff open to acts of violence and costs retailers billions.”

Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) were introduced to deal with first time offences for the theft of goods under the value of £200. However, PNDs have been inconsistently applied across police forces, issued incorrectly to repeat offenders and issued without the express consent of victims.”