FOI 164-2025 / Feb 2025 / Shoplifting
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 164-2025
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 5th February 2025 as follows:
1) The number of Shoplifting offences per year broken down by outcome
1a) How many were recorded as being committed by a child under the age of 10? And the outcome of this if recorded.
1b) How many were recorded as being committed by a child aged 10-17?
1c) How many were recorded as being committed by a person aged 18 and over?
2) The number of Burglary offences per year broken down by outcome
2a) How many were recorded as being committed by a child under the age of 10? And the outcome of this if recorded.
2b) How many were recorded as being committed by a child aged 10-17?
2c) How many were recorded as being committed by a person aged 18 and over?
If you could provide data broken down per year from 2019-2024, please and calendar year if possible.
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.
Response: Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Warwickshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you, the applicant, with a notice which:
(a) States that fact,
(b) Specifies the exemption in question and
(c) States (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
The exemption applicable to some of the information is:
Section 40(2) – Personal Information
Section 40 is an absolute class-based exemption, which does not require evidence of the harm disclosure would cause and does not require consideration of a public interest test. That being said, where Section 40(2) is engaged, in order to make the exemption absolute there needs to be evidence that a Data Protection Principle would be breached by disclosure.
This exemption is engaged where disclosure of information relates to personal data of a third party or could lead to the identification of an individual, either from that information alone or combined with any other information from within the Police Service or public domain. In this case, due to low numbers of under 10s, providing the breakdown by year is likely to identify an and individual and provide information in relation to an individual. Such a disclosure would breach individuals’ rights under the Data Protection Act 2018, in particular Article 5(1) of the GDPR which states that personal data shall be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject.
Pursuant to Section 17(1) of the Act this letter acts as a refusal notice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to this element of your request and, instead, information in relation to under 10s has been provided across a periods rather than by a yearly breakdown where necessary.
When reviewing the information please note the following:
- Many offences do not have a suspect role attached and some offences have more than one suspect role attached; therefore, the number of suspects will not match the total number of crimes.
- Outcomes are based on the investigation and only show the most serious outcome for any suspect attached to a crime. In the event that there are multiple suspects attached to a crime, this does not take into account ‘lesser’ or like outcomes of any other suspect(s).
- For both reasons stated above, it is not possible to provide investigation outcomes based on under 10s as, in many cases, they are not the only individual involved in the offence. Therefore, in the event that there were 2 individuals involved and one was aged under 10 and one over 10, then the outcome may show as, for example, ‘Community Resolution’, but this would be in relation to the individual who was over 10 not the individual under 10 – as stated above - outcomes only show the most serious outcome for any suspect attached to a crime and in this case the outcome of the under 10 would not be represented by the investigation outcome.
- Data includes attempt offences
Q1 response:
|
Shoplifting |
|||||||
|
Outcome Type |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
559 |
448 |
264 |
272 |
466 |
776 |
2785 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence |
1 |
4 |
2 |
|
4 |
7 |
18 |
|
Type 2 - Caution Youth |
9 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
1 |
16 |
|
Type 3 - Caution Adult |
32 |
20 |
26 |
7 |
17 |
24 |
126 |
|
Type 3A - Caution Adult - alternate offence |
2 |
1 |
|
|
3 |
1 |
7 |
|
Type 4 - TIC - Taken into Consideration |
72 |
9 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
83 |
|
Type 5 - Offender has died |
|
2 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
5 |
|
Type 6 - Penalty notice for disorder |
28 |
14 |
10 |
4 |
2 |
|
58 |
|
Type 8 - Community resolution (Crime) |
72 |
59 |
27 |
22 |
45 |
103 |
328 |
|
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 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
13 |
|
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 |
335 |
406 |
399 |
441 |
457 |
229 |
2267 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
479 |
266 |
223 |
302 |
253 |
403 |
1926 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
237 |
180 |
225 |
203 |
176 |
19 |
1040 |
|
Type 17 - Prosecution Time Limit Expired: Suspect Identified But Prosecution Time Limit Has Expired |
6 |
4 |
7 |
11 |
15 |
2 |
45 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
1403 |
1241 |
913 |
985 |
1363 |
1973 |
7878 |
|
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 |
19 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
21 |
|
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. |
16 |
4 |
|
|
|
1 |
21 |
|
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 |
2 |
22 |
|
Filed or Under Investigation |
|
|
|
|
3 |
36 |
39 |
|
Grand Total |
3287 |
2671 |
2107 |
2259 |
2809 |
3580 |
16713 |
Q1a, 1b & 1c response:
|
Suspect age group |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
|
Under 10 Years |
1 |
8 |
4 |
7 |
20 |
||
|
10-17 Years |
111 |
95 |
100 |
77 |
102 |
163 |
648 |
|
18 Years and Older |
1691 |
1140 |
872 |
900 |
1047 |
1405 |
7055 |
|
Unknown |
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
Grand Total |
1804 |
1235 |
973 |
985 |
1153 |
1575 |
7725 |
Q2 response:
|
Burglary |
|||||||
|
Outcome Type |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
119 |
60 |
56 |
70 |
64 |
95 |
464 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence |
45 |
23 |
19 |
12 |
21 |
9 |
129 |
|
Type 2 - Caution Youth |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
6 |
|
Type 2A - Caution Youth - alternate offence. |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
Type 3 - Caution Adult |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
6 |
|
Type 3A - Caution Adult - alternate offence. |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
7 |
|
Type 4 - TIC - Taken into Consideration |
30 |
2 |
|
4 |
3 |
8 |
47 |
|
Type 8 - Community resolution (Crime) |
7 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
27 |
|
Type 9 - Prosecution Not In the Public Interest (CPS) |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
Type 10 - Formal Action Against Offender is not in the Public Interest (Police) |
|
1 |
|
|
|
2 |
3 |
|
Type 11 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Below The Age Of Criminal Responsibility |
2 |
2 |
|||||
|
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 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
|
4 |
3 |
20 |
|
Type 13 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Victim Or Key Witness Is Dead Or Too Ill To Give Evidence |
1 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
4 |
|
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 |
229 |
191 |
184 |
318 |
266 |
107 |
1295 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
191 |
134 |
116 |
120 |
155 |
103 |
819 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
86 |
74 |
74 |
114 |
96 |
67 |
511 |
|
Type 17 - Prosecution Time Limit Expired: Suspect Identified But Prosecution Time Limit Has Expired |
1 |
|
5 |
1 |
1 |
|
8 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
3022 |
2026 |
1394 |
1595 |
1656 |
1786 |
11479 |
|
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 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
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. |
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
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. |
4 |
2 |
|
2 |
|
1 |
9 |
|
Type AF – Action Fraud record filed temporarily awaiting result from master AF investigation |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Filed or under Investigation |
|
|
|
2 |
25 |
124 |
151 |
|
Grand Total |
3744 |
2528 |
1862 |
2246 |
2303 |
2311 |
14994 |
Q2a, 2b & 2c response:
|
Suspect age group |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
|
Under 10 Years |
4 |
4 |
|||||
|
10-17 Years |
113 |
111 |
42 |
53 |
117 |
86 |
522 |
|
18 Years and Older |
608 |
361 |
314 |
348 |
508 |
438 |
2577 |
|
Unknown |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
Grand Total |
721 |
472 |
359 |
401 |
627 |
525 |
3105 |
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