Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 November 2008. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Shoplifting

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances records of shoplifting offences are kept.

Answer: Police are required to record allegations of crime in accordance with the National Crime Recording Standard and Home Office Counting Rules. These are both public documents available at:"http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html"Shoplifting is specifically covered under Classification 46 of the Home Office Counting Rules where it states that theft of any property within a shop whether or not it is for sale should be recorded as theft from a shop. Further advice on what constitutes a shop unit, legal definition of theft and appropriate examples are also included.

Secondary information