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Shoplifting

Question for Ministry of Justice

UIN 229676, tabled on 7 March 2019

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether offences of shop theft of goods worth £200 or less are classified summary-only crimes since the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Answered on

13 March 2019

Section 176 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 inserted into the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 a deeming provision (section 22A) whereby shop theft of goods worth £200 or less (‘low-value shoplifting’) is treated as a summary only offence unless the accused elects to be tried by a judge and jury.