Shoplifting Bill 'talked out' of Parliament

Anne McIntosh

Anne McIntosh, Tory MP for the Vale of York, has criticised the Government for failing to support her Bill which would toughen up the punishment for shop theft.

Anne McIntosh had wide support for her bill which was an attempt to ensure more severe and appropriate punishments for sholifters who are often given Fixed Penalty Notices and are left, in her opinion, free to commit the same crime again having suffered no significant financial punishment.

According to McIntosh: “Retailers in North Yorkshire and across the country will be hugely disappointed".

Her Bill would have:

• Ensured that fixed penalty notices could only be used when dealing with first time offenders, who have no previous criminal convictions and guaranteed that the fixed notice would be issued at a police station.
• Guaranteed that any offences dealt with by a fixed penalty notice would be recorded on the Police National Computer, or its successor system, within 24 hours.
• Provided assurances that the consent of retailers would be obtained before a fixed penalty notice was issued.
• Seen the revision of the sentencing guidelines to deal appropriately with those shoplifters who reach the court system.”

Two government ministers, Health Minister Ann Keen and Defence Minister Kevin Jones, effectively 'talked out' the bill by discussing two earlier bills on autism and pensions for war widows. The Bill has an opportunity for a Second Reading on 3rd July but it is unlikely that it will fare any better and seems doomed to fail to make it to the statute book.

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