The House of Commons library research was commissioned by the Liberal Democrats after Matthew Barber, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley force, said the public should do more to challenge shoplifters rather than rely on the police.
Thames Valley Police force had a conviction rate of just 17%, below the national average.
Britain’s largest force, the Metropolitan Police, had a charge rate of only one in 16 (6%) for shoplifting offences, the lowest rate in the country.
The data comes as the shoplifting epidemic has hit record levels, with nearly three offences a minute – or 530,643 in total – reported to police in the year to March, at an estimated cost of £1.8 billion ($4b) to retailers.
The Liberal Democrats called for the Government to scrap the role of police and crime commissioners so that resources could be diverted to tackling crime.
Joshua Reynolds, the Lib Dem MP for Maidenhead, which is covered by Thames Valley, accused policing chiefs of trying to “pass the buck” to the public for tackling shoplifting offences.
“These shameful figures show that the police are failing to crack down on the shoplifting epidemic facing our country.
“The suggestion by a Conservative police chief that it’s up to the public to stop shoplifters was both reckless and dangerous.
“I’ve worked in retail, so I know what it feels like to have to confront shoplifters – it’s frightening and it’s dangerous.”
He added: “Senior police chiefs should be protecting us, not passing the buck to the public. It’s time for the Government to scrap police and crime commissioners and invest the money in front-line policing instead.
“That way we can get more bobbies on the beat and stop this lawlessness on our high streets.”
The data show that although the number of shoplifting offences unsolved had risen, the proportion had fallen by just under 1%, from 56.4 per cent to 55.5 per cent.
Similarly, the overall number of offences resulting in a charge fell last year, but the proportion had increased marginally from 17.6% to 18.3%.
Charging differences between forces
The data revealed huge gaps between the best-performing forces and the worst.
Norfolk topped the table with nearly a third (32.4%) of shoplifting offences resulting in a charge and just 31% being closed without a suspect being identified.
By contrast, the Met Police saw just 5.7% of shoplifting offences resulting in a charge, a sixth of Norfolk’s rate, and more than two-thirds (68%) were closed without a suspect being identified.
Paul Sanford, the Chief Constable at Norfolk Constabulary, has put it down to its back-to-basics approach, what he called “core policing”.
“You answer the phone quickly, get to jobs quickly and investigate crime well. That’s what we are prioritising,” he told the Telegraph.
Labour is introducing new laws to clamp down on shoplifting by requiring police to investigate even if the goods are worth under £200.
Its Policing and Crime Bill will reverse a so-called “shoplifters’ charter” introduced in 2014, under which the theft of goods under £200 is considered “low value”.
The bill will also introduce a standalone offence of assaulting a shop worker, which could carry a maximum sentence of between six months and two years.
Under an agreement last October between the Government and police, officers attend shoplifting cases if there is violence against a store worker, a suspected thief is detained, or officers are needed to secure evidence.
Police said it was “not realistic” for officers to respond to every shoplifting report.
Matt Vickers MP, shadow policing minister, said: “Shoplifting has surged by 20% under Labour, with more than half a million offences in the last year alone. If people feel less safe today, it’s because Keir Starmer drained the police budget, flung open our borders, and waved in criminals.
“The Liberal Democrats wail from the sidelines but have no answers. They posture about law and order while voting with Labour to cut police numbers and weaken sentencing. It’s empty noise from a party that has never taken crime seriously.
“Only the Conservatives will back the police with the numbers, powers and resources to get tough on shoplifters, restore order on our high streets, and protect the law-abiding majority.”
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.
