A programme targeting 500 repeat shoplifters is planned for England and Wales, combining closer police scrutiny with support for addiction. According to the Guardian, officers will focus on selected offenders, gather evidence of their crimes and make wider use of court-imposed restrictions.
In an article published on 11 November, the newspaper reports that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced involvement by up to 17 police forces and an additional £2.5 million in funding. This is an announcement of a planned programme, rather than a report of a completed operation or its results.
Exclusion orders and GPS monitoring
Police will gather evidence of offences committed by those targeted by the programme, with the aim of securing tougher sentences. The measures announced include wider use of court orders regulating offenders’ behaviour. These may include bans from particular high streets and town centres, alongside GPS monitoring.
The plan also includes intensive court supervision with regular hearings. According to the Guardian, breaches of conditions could lead to imprisonment in the most serious cases, while foreign national offenders could face deportation. Neither would be an automatic consequence of being included in the programme. The announcement also does not mean that new statutory penalties have been enacted.
Enforcement alongside support
The government says tackling drug and alcohol addiction will form part of its efforts to reduce reoffending. The programme is therefore intended to combine targeted policing with help for problems that can contribute to repeated theft.
The organisation Revolving Doors backed that approach, highlighting the need for sustained support with addiction, mental health problems and homelessness. The British Retail Consortium, which represents the retail sector, said combining enforcement with measures addressing the causes of offending could help shops and local communities.
The announcement covers England and Wales, rather than the whole of the UK. The Guardian does not give an implementation timetable or a list of participating police forces. An assessment of the programme’s effectiveness will therefore have to wait until it is put into practice.
