The Liberal Democrat member of parliament for Wokingham, Clive Jones, has criticised the Rt Hon David Lammy MP’s response to his oral question on shoplifting given in parliament.
During the Justice oral question session in the Chamber last week, Jones raised the issue of shoplifting on a local level in the Wokingham constituency.
The Wokingham MP began by describing the statement made by the Conservative Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, who said that the public should be doing more to stop shoplifting.
“This week, my constituent Sarah described being “smacked into” during a shoplifting incident and the fear that she felt at that moment,” Jones added.
Addressing, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Wokingham MP asked if he would agree with Matthew Barber’s suggestion that “Sarah is part of the problem.”
Jones ended his question by drawing attention to the wider issue of over 80% of shoplifting offences result in no charge at all, and whether the Rt Hon David Lammy acknowledges it to be the main cause of the issue.
The deputy prime minister began his response by acknowledging that further neighbourhood policing and “bobbies on the beat” are both needed to combat shoplifting, but that “numbers were cut under the last government.”
“I also think that the intensive supervision courts, provided for in the Sentencing Bill, will be able to make a huge difference,” the Rt Hon David Lammy explained.
“A lot of shoplifters need a judge checking in with them regularly, and sometimes dealing with their addiction issue, to get them to change course.”
Following the session, the MP for Wokingham said: “Residents who are simply going about their shopping should not be criticised for stopping shoplifting, especially if this would put them in harm’s way.
“I am deeply disappointed in how the Rt Hon David Lammy MP addressed my question – one that raises the immediate impact that shoplifting is having on constituents like Sarah.
“It is widely known that the last Conservative government slashed the number of police officers and neighbourhood policing was slashed.
“What we need is a concrete commitment from Labour on how they will reverse this for the safety of the public, which the deputy prime minister did not provide in response to my question.
“I will continue urging the government for a wider police presence in our community to tackle this widespread shoplifting issue, so that no more constituents will experience situations similar to Sarah.”
