FOI 507-2024 / May 2024 / Shoplifting
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 507-2024
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 14th May 2024 as follows:
Please can you provide the following information from 01/05/2019 to 01/05/2024, broken down by year.
- The total number of shoplifting offences logged by the force.
- Of those, the number of shoplifting offences that were listed as occurring at a supermarket, or mentioned Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl, Morrison’s, Iceland, Waitrose or Marks and Spencer.
- The number of arrests for shoplifting recorded in the period.
- The number of shoplifting offences logged by the force broken down by outcome.
Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in providing the response to your request and for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
When reviewing the information please note the following:
- Information was obtained by searching for all shoplifting offences (Home Office Code 46), recorded between 1st May 2019 and 30 April 2024.
- Information for Q2 is based on where the ‘Location Premise Type is one which could fall within the remit of the request in relation to supermarkets, and others have been removed (ie types such as cafes/restaurants, off licences etc). You will note that there are some entries which have a ‘Location Premise Type’ of ‘blank’ but where the requested supermarket names are listed, and conversely there are ‘blank’ entries within the ‘Supermarket Name’ column, but which fall within the ‘Shop / Store / Supermarket Location Premise Type. This will mean that in some cases the supermarket has not been specified or is not a supermarket at all. The below is the best set of information that we are able to provide without specifically reviewing each and every offence to determine if it involved a supermarket, which would exceed the amount to which we are legally required to respond, i.e., the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
- With regard the response to Q3, the Crime Recording System and Custody Systems are separate and therefore, the information provided in relation to arrests is standalone and does not directly correlate with the investigations concerned in the response to Q1. This means, for example, that someone may have been arrested for an offence in May 2019 but the crime was recorded in April 2019.
Q1 response:
|
Shoplifting Offences |
2019* |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024** |
Total |
|
Attempted - Theft from shops and stalls |
39 |
24 |
12 |
26 |
27 |
8 |
136 |
|
Theft from shops and stalls |
2214 |
2647 |
2095 |
2233 |
2782 |
1243 |
13214 |
|
Grand Total |
2253 |
2671 |
2107 |
2259 |
2809 |
1251 |
13350 |
*From 1st May 2019
**As at 30th April 2024
Q2 response:
|
Location Premise Type |
Supermarket Name |
Total |
|
Shop / Store / Supermarket |
Aldi |
417 |
|
Asda |
490 |
|
|
Iceland |
111 |
|
|
Lidl |
58 |
|
|
Marks and Spencer |
587 |
|
|
Morrisons |
141 |
|
|
Sainsbury's |
807 |
|
|
Tesco |
681 |
|
|
Waitrose |
155 |
|
|
(blank) |
5005 |
|
|
Shopping centre |
Tesco |
27 |
|
(blank) |
95 |
|
|
(blank) |
Aldi |
94 |
|
Asda |
181 |
|
|
Iceland |
2 |
|
|
Lidl |
21 |
|
|
Marks and Spencer |
71 |
|
|
Morrisons |
3 |
|
|
Sainsbury's |
346 |
|
|
Tesco |
264 |
|
|
Waitrose |
2 |
|
|
(blank) |
3032 |
|
|
Grand Total |
12590 |
|
Q3 response:
|
Year |
Total |
|
2019* |
242 |
|
2020 |
292 |
|
2021 |
228 |
|
2022 |
167 |
|
2023 |
269 |
|
2024** |
132 |
|
Grand Total |
1330 |
*From 1st May 2019
**As at 30th April 2024
Q4 response:
|
Outcome Type |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
374 |
448 |
264 |
272 |
464 |
293 |
2115 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. Offender has been charged under the alternate offence rule. |
1 |
4 |
2 |
|
4 |
6 |
17 |
|
Type 2 - Caution Youth |
5 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
11 |
|
Type 3 - Caution Adult |
21 |
20 |
26 |
7 |
18 |
15 |
107 |
|
Type 3A - Caution Adult - alternate offence. Offender has been given a simple caution under the alternate offences rule. |
2 |
1 |
|
|
3 |
1 |
7 |
|
Type 4 - TIC - Taken into Consideration |
47 |
9 |
|
1 |
|
|
57 |
|
Type 5 - Offender has died |
|
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
Type 6 - Penalty notice for disorder |
17 |
14 |
10 |
4 |
2 |
|
47 |
|
Type 8 - Community resolution (Crime) |
49 |
59 |
27 |
22 |
45 |
57 |
259 |
|
Type 9 - Prosecution Not In the Public Interest (CPS) |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Type 10 - Formal Action Against Offender is not in the Public Interest (Police) |
9 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
Type 11 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Below The Age Of Criminal Responsibility |
1 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
Type 12 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Too Ill (Physical Or Mental Health) To Prosecute, or confirmed died either before crime reported or before enough evidence to charge |
5 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
12 |
|
Type 13 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Victim Or Key Witness Is Dead Or Too Ill To Give Evidence |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
251 |
406 |
399 |
441 |
456 |
93 |
2046 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
340 |
266 |
223 |
302 |
237 |
87 |
1455 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
156 |
180 |
225 |
203 |
177 |
6 |
947 |
|
Type 17 - Prosecution Time Limit Expired: Suspect Identified But Prosecution Time Limit Has Expired |
6 |
4 |
7 |
11 |
15 |
|
43 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
948 |
1241 |
913 |
985 |
1365 |
614 |
6066 |
|
Type 20 - Further action resulting from the crime report will be undertaken by another body or agency subject to the victim (or person acting on their behalf) being made aware of the act to be taken |
10 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
12 |
|
Type 21 - Further investigation resulting from crime report which could provide evidence sufficient to support formal action against the suspect is not in the public interest - police decision. |
10 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
14 |
|
Type 22 - Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action. |
|
5 |
4 |
8 |
3 |
|
20 |
|
Ongoing |
|
|
|
|
18 |
79 |
97 |
|
Grand Total |
2253 |
2671 |
2107 |
2259 |
2809 |
1251 |
13350 |
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB