Exploring the Government’s Plans to Tackle Shoplifting
Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor, One Small Thing
In the next in her series of blogs Lilly Lewis, One Small Thing’s Women’s Involvement Advisor discusses the government’s latest plans to tackle shoplifting. Using new legislation in the crime and justice bill, the government plans to force judges to impose jail terms when sentencing repeat offenders for shoplifting. Lilly explains how these new proposals will affect women and children, and how criminalising those shoplifting essentials is not the answer to the cost-of-living crisis.
The government plan to force judges to impose jail sentences for repeat offenders of shoplifting is disastrous and will not have any impact on those who shoplift out of a necessity to feed and clothe their children.
The prison population is already bursting at the seams and the sentences will be so short there will be no time to provide any meaningful support or rehabilitation work. In fact, this plan will cause much more harm than good. The prison service already has problems with overcrowding and a shortage of staff. This will completely fail more women and children who have already lived through so much trauma. Sending women to prison even on short sentences has a huge negative impact on their mental health and separating children from their mother for any length of time creates childhood trauma.
This proposed change will have such a detrimental effect on both women and children in view of the cost-of-living crisis.
I found it devastating listening to Aspana Begum MP describing how the most stolen item in her borough was Calpol[1]. How absolutely shocking and heart breaking this is, and I can only imagine the shame these women must feel. I supported a woman recently who was assaulted by a shop owner after stealing bacon! He then proceeded to put a photograph of her in his shop window. If the government plan goes ahead, we will see a huge spike in women being criminalised and more children affected by separation.
I have had some conversations with a high street security guard and he explained to me that the pressure from store management is that the police are called, whether a man or woman is stopped for shoplifting. The theft will be logged, the person will be photographed and issued a shop banning notice. The thought of being photographed by store staff and banned from the store sounds very degrading. Once the police arrive it is then decided if the person should be detained into custody and charged with the offence. A lot will depend on the value of the goods, and also if the person is known to the police for shoplifting. If security staff detain a suspected shoplifter without the proper evidence, they can be held liable for assault, false imprisonment and other criminal charges.
Stopping and detaining women who have committed theft can cause trauma, and being detained and told the police will be called because you have stolen food or essential items must be devastating. Security staff should be trained to work in a trauma informed way. Security staff are usually male as it is a male dominated industry, and I feel physical restraint is not acceptable when stopping women or children.
The potential effect on women of increasing use of jail sentences for repeat offenders of shoplifting could be appalling, we already know that women are often primary caregivers for their children.
The pressure on mums just keeps growing. I supported a single mother who received a letter from her daughter's school advising of a school trip the cost is £320.00. The daughter understandably wants to go and mum feels pressured to pay this but has no way to do so.
The government could do more in supporting women and families through this cost-of-living crisis, for example by providing weekly food vouchers for local supermarkets. This should be on top of low income or any benefits she is already receiving. Increasing free childcare places for those women who want to work and are on lower incomes, and providing Gas and Electricity support all year round not just in the winter months would all make a big difference.
[1] https://twitter.com/ApsanaBegumMP/status/1678460962980917248?s=20
Written by: Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing
