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Now I wonder who is doing most of this thieving.
In the past what we consider minor crimes in England would result in capital punishments.
Our society today is a 'free for all'. It's gone too far the other way.
medium.com
There is no point in arresting shoplifters if courts keep setting them free and they are not prevented from carrying out further crimes, a policing chief has said.
Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said it was “madness” how many times thieves had to be arrested before ending up behind bars.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex said prisons were full and offenders were not being sent to jail, so the criminal justice system had to find alternative methods to stop repeat offenders.
Writing for The Telegraph (see below), Ms Bourne said: “If prison is not an option – and I think it should be, but at the moment it clearly isn’t as there are no places – then we’ve got to find credible alternatives.
“People have got to know that they’re going to get caught, and that there’s a meaningful deterrent when they do. There is no point arresting shoplifters if there is no effective deterrent.”
Ms Bourne’s intervention comes after police in North Wales sparked a huge public backlash when a shop owner was spoken to for putting up a sign calling shoplifters “scumbags”.
She said she feared that the country had reached a point “where police forces are more worried about upsetting career criminals rather than catching them”.
She said: “Successive parliaments have contributed to an indigestible legislative layer cake of rights and data protection laws and police guidance that treats the greedy, the ruthless and feckless with kid gloves.”
Ms Bourne said offenders needed a “metaphorical punch on the nose” with “robust police intervention followed swiftly by meaningful criminal justice measures that deter and prevent them from re-offending”.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Government has made tackling the shoplifting epidemic one of its key priorities, but a record high of nearly three thefts were carried out every minute in the year to this March.
The reality of the situation is feared to be much worse, with many shopkeepers so demoralised by repeated thefts that they no longer report every incident to the police.
There is growing pressure on the Government and police to get a grip on the problem and ensure the courts hand out robust sentences and deterrents to the most prolific offenders.
Ms Bourne has spearheaded a pioneering scheme in which shoplifters will be subject to GPS tagging and rehabilitation orders issued by courts. They could then be banned from shops from which they have stolen or given curfews to stop their thieving.
She continued: “Effectively at the moment, if you’re shoplifting, you’re not going to go to prison unless you do it multiple, multiple times.
“If there’s no space for prolific shoplifters in prison, there should be restricted space for them on our high streets. Tagging will ensure police know where they are.”
In May, it emerged that around 43,000 criminals were set to avoid prison each year under Government plans to combat jail overcrowding.
The criminals, including burglars, shoplifters and knife offenders, will instead face community sentences under the plans to scrap most jail terms of under 12 months.
Ms Bourne said she had repeatedly demanded that the Government roll out a national electronic tagging scheme for offenders, but had been left frustrated and “fed up” with the lack of action.
She said: “Sussex will introduce the first electronic tagging scheme for persistent shoplifters. I am fed up waiting for the Government to act. We will be working with the courts to see how tags might be issued and with police and industry to see how the tags could be monitored. I don’t know if this will work, but we have to try.
“Ultimately, it sends a clear signal to shoplifters that we won’t look the other way in Sussex. I sound frustrated and angry because we have talked for far too long about getting to grips with retail crime, but indecision and a lack of criminal justice system cohesion are slowing our response.”
Ms Bourne acknowledged there were different types of shoplifters, including opportunists, drug and alcohol addicts and organized crime gangs.
“Whilst there needs to be understanding, treatment and rehabilitation for some offenders, there must be consequences for others as well as significant alternatives to our overcrowded prisons,” she said.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
Now I wonder who is doing most of this thieving.
In the past what we consider minor crimes in England would result in capital punishments.
Our society today is a 'free for all'. It's gone too far the other way.
Ludicrous crimes that would have gotten you hanged in 18th century England
Imagine being hanged for stealing a handkerchief, cutting down a tree and for blackening your face.
There is no point in arresting shoplifters if courts keep setting them free and they are not prevented from carrying out further crimes, a policing chief has said.
Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said it was “madness” how many times thieves had to be arrested before ending up behind bars.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex said prisons were full and offenders were not being sent to jail, so the criminal justice system had to find alternative methods to stop repeat offenders.
Writing for The Telegraph (see below), Ms Bourne said: “If prison is not an option – and I think it should be, but at the moment it clearly isn’t as there are no places – then we’ve got to find credible alternatives.
“People have got to know that they’re going to get caught, and that there’s a meaningful deterrent when they do. There is no point arresting shoplifters if there is no effective deterrent.”
Ms Bourne’s intervention comes after police in North Wales sparked a huge public backlash when a shop owner was spoken to for putting up a sign calling shoplifters “scumbags”.
She said she feared that the country had reached a point “where police forces are more worried about upsetting career criminals rather than catching them”.
She said: “Successive parliaments have contributed to an indigestible legislative layer cake of rights and data protection laws and police guidance that treats the greedy, the ruthless and feckless with kid gloves.”
Ms Bourne said offenders needed a “metaphorical punch on the nose” with “robust police intervention followed swiftly by meaningful criminal justice measures that deter and prevent them from re-offending”.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Government has made tackling the shoplifting epidemic one of its key priorities, but a record high of nearly three thefts were carried out every minute in the year to this March.
The reality of the situation is feared to be much worse, with many shopkeepers so demoralised by repeated thefts that they no longer report every incident to the police.
There is growing pressure on the Government and police to get a grip on the problem and ensure the courts hand out robust sentences and deterrents to the most prolific offenders.
Ms Bourne has spearheaded a pioneering scheme in which shoplifters will be subject to GPS tagging and rehabilitation orders issued by courts. They could then be banned from shops from which they have stolen or given curfews to stop their thieving.
She continued: “Effectively at the moment, if you’re shoplifting, you’re not going to go to prison unless you do it multiple, multiple times.
“If there’s no space for prolific shoplifters in prison, there should be restricted space for them on our high streets. Tagging will ensure police know where they are.”
In May, it emerged that around 43,000 criminals were set to avoid prison each year under Government plans to combat jail overcrowding.
The criminals, including burglars, shoplifters and knife offenders, will instead face community sentences under the plans to scrap most jail terms of under 12 months.
Ms Bourne said she had repeatedly demanded that the Government roll out a national electronic tagging scheme for offenders, but had been left frustrated and “fed up” with the lack of action.
She said: “Sussex will introduce the first electronic tagging scheme for persistent shoplifters. I am fed up waiting for the Government to act. We will be working with the courts to see how tags might be issued and with police and industry to see how the tags could be monitored. I don’t know if this will work, but we have to try.
“Ultimately, it sends a clear signal to shoplifters that we won’t look the other way in Sussex. I sound frustrated and angry because we have talked for far too long about getting to grips with retail crime, but indecision and a lack of criminal justice system cohesion are slowing our response.”
Ms Bourne acknowledged there were different types of shoplifters, including opportunists, drug and alcohol addicts and organized crime gangs.
“Whilst there needs to be understanding, treatment and rehabilitation for some offenders, there must be consequences for others as well as significant alternatives to our overcrowded prisons,” she said.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
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