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| Burglary charge cuts shop theft | Burglary charge cuts shop theft |
| (6 days later) | |
| Police in Huddersfield say a scheme which charges shoplifters with burglary rather than just theft has cut offences by 16% since July. | Police in Huddersfield say a scheme which charges shoplifters with burglary rather than just theft has cut offences by 16% since July. |
| Shoplifters in the town face a "three strikes and you're out" policy designed to target repeat offenders. | Shoplifters in the town face a "three strikes and you're out" policy designed to target repeat offenders. |
| On the fourth offence, they can be charged with burglary - which carries a potentially tougher sentence. | On the fourth offence, they can be charged with burglary - which carries a potentially tougher sentence. |
| Shoplifting is rising nationally with almost 300,000 thefts reported in England and Wales last financial year. | Shoplifting is rising nationally with almost 300,000 thefts reported in England and Wales last financial year. |
| Under the new strategy, shoplifters are banned from certain stores after their third offence. If they return they will be trespassing. | Under the new strategy, shoplifters are banned from certain stores after their third offence. If they return they will be trespassing. |
| On the third offence they are served with a notice warning that they are banned from certain stores. | On the third offence they are served with a notice warning that they are banned from certain stores. |
| If they are found in these shops again that is classed as trespassing, which allows police to charge offenders with burglary if they are caught for a fourth time. | If they are found in these shops again that is classed as trespassing, which allows police to charge offenders with burglary if they are caught for a fourth time. |
| Burglary from a shop carries a maximum sentence of 10 years compared to seven for theft. | Burglary from a shop carries a maximum sentence of 10 years compared to seven for theft. |
| Officers believe the potentially tougher sentences are acting as a deterrent, helping Huddersfield buck the national trend for figures for theft from shops. | Officers believe the potentially tougher sentences are acting as a deterrent, helping Huddersfield buck the national trend for figures for theft from shops. |
| Recent research by the British Retail Consortium suggested shoplifting has risen 70% since the year 2000, despite billions spent on security. | Recent research by the British Retail Consortium suggested shoplifting has risen 70% since the year 2000, despite billions spent on security. |
| The BRC' s 2006 Retail Crime Survey estimated that shop crime in the UK in 2005 cost a total of £2.1bn. | The BRC' s 2006 Retail Crime Survey estimated that shop crime in the UK in 2005 cost a total of £2.1bn. |