Arrests for theft fall by more than a third in five years

The number of arrests for theft in Sussex has fallen by more than a third in the past five years, new figures show.

Home Office figures show that Sussex Police made 1,553 arrests theft or a related offence in the year to the end of March.

This was down from 2,734 in 2017-18, meaning that the number of theft arrests has fallen by 43 per cent in five years.

The number of theft offences recorded by the force also fell – but the decrease was just 7 per cent, from 42,055 in 2017-18 to 38,916 last year.

The declining number of arrests in Sussex is similar to the trend across England and Wales where the figure fell by 37 per cent to 88,914 over the same period.

Charge rates for thefts show that just 4.4 per cent of offences with a recorded outcome included a charge or summons nationally in the year to March.

In Sussex, the proportion was lower, with 4.1 per cent leading to a charge or summons.

The Home Office said: “Since 2010, our communities are safer, with theft offences down by 47 per cent and robbery down by 81 per cent.

“We have also delivered more police officers in England and Wales than ever before and the police have committed to attend all home burglaries and pursue all reasonable lines of inquiry to ensure more crimes are solved and public confidence is improved.”

In August, the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that every theft must be investigated, adding that it was “completely unacceptable” that some crimes have been effectively legalised.

And last month, the police, retailers and the government established the Retail Crime Action Plan to improve response times to retail-related crime, including theft and shoplifting.

The scheme follows initiatives by the Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne to work with retailers to improve responses to retail crime including shoplifting and the violence and abuse directed at shop workers.

Mrs Bourne is the lead for business and retail crime at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and recently responded to an open letter from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).

She said: “I’ve seen for myself the fear, the harm and the damage that too many shop staff and retailers are experiencing.

“From the many businesses I have met it is sadly evident that, too often, the policing response they have received – assuming they got one – is not what they expect.

“However, we also cannot overlook the fact that police forces face a huge daily demand on their finite resources so they will have to prioritise a physical response based on the threat posed to staff and customers and the likelihood of catching up with the offender.

“I am pleased that (ACS) acknowledges the efforts of some forces, including my own Sussex, to make it easier to report incidents.

“I started our Safer Sussex Business Partnership three years ago to broker a better police understanding of business crime and to ensure a more productive working relationship with our local businesses.

“The outcomes from that led to the establishment of a dedicated Business Crime Team which other forces are also setting up and a review of reporting mechanisms.

“Since 2020, I have been working on behalf of PCCs (police and crime commissioners) with the National Retail Crime Steering Group chaired by the Policing Minister.

“It is clear that government does take retail crime seriously and it listens to and works with the ACS and other industry bodies.

“That listening has translated into firm direction about the need for police to take back the high street from criminals and to follow up all reasonable lines of inquiry where they exist and PCCs have prioritised business crime in their local police and crime plans to make this happen.

“I know that’s what retailers and their staff and their customers want and I want to help make it as easy as possible to gather and share evidence.

“That’s why we have piloted One Touch reporting with the Co-Op in Sussex to cut the time to report down from 30 minutes to just two.”

In the past week she has been speaking about Operation Pegasus which aims to tackle the serious and organised crime gangs that have targeted retailers.

In the summer, Ms Braverman told BBC Breakfast: “There is no such crime as minor crime – whether it’s phone theft, car theft, watch theft, whether it’s street-level drug-dealing or drug use, the police must now follow every reasonable line of inquiry.”

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, the lead for acquisitive crime at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “We recognise how invasive and traumatic it is to be a victim of burglary and theft, and we are already investing significant resources in preventing and investigating serious acquisitive crime.

“Burglary levels have fallen by 51 per cent over the past decade due to this increased investment and all police forces in England and Wales are now attending every home burglary.

“It is for individual chief constables to manage demand within their force and prioritise their resources, drawing on the support of national standards and guidance.

“We do not consider anything to be ‘low-level’ crime. Each and every crime will have an impact on victims and this should never be underestimated.”