Officers should use discretion over stealing to eat, says police watchdog

[SydneyRover]

And ........

''In a wide-ranging interview, Cooke also said:

Every burglary victim should get a visit from the police.

Forces may be marked down by the inspectorate if they fail to do so.

The charging rate should more than treble, from the current 6% to at least 20%.

The criminal justice system is failing victims of rape.

Policing is still recovering from cuts inflicted by Conservative-led governments from 2010''

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/18/officers-should-use-discretion-over-stealing-to-eat-says-uk-police-watchdog

I sort of like this bloke already, let's see how he goes.

[BobG]

He seems to talk some sense.

BobG

[River Don]

I see fat bas**rd Kit Malthouse has already rebuked him saying the Police should be arresting desperate, hungry people.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I mean he's right they should be, they are stealing from somebody else after all.  There should be no reason anyone has to do that, if they are something Is very wrong.

[MachoMadness]

If you spot someone stealing food or hygiene products from the supermarket, let them go. Don't be a grass.

[ChrisBx]

I currently work within the criminal justice system. If people could truly see how bad things were across all of the statutory agencies, there would be uproar.

[normal rules]

I’ve often said that if I was ever that hard up I’d happily walk into the local supermarket and gather up staples such as bread, milk, eggs, cheese. Especially if I had young kids. Simple things, nothing luxurious and then ask to see the manager telling him I’m walking out without paying.and I’d leave a note saying that when I could afford to I’d come back and pay for the goods.
The theft act 1968 is quite specific. And theft itself is made up of a number of key components. They are :
Dishonestly ie walking out without saying anything.
Appropriates ie making it yours by picking it up and keeping it.
Property ie the goods and their cash value
Belonging to another ie Asda
With the intention of permanently depriving them of it. Ie if you intend to go back and pay for it then there is no permanent deprivation. So they would not be at a loss in the long term.

All of the above have to be satisfied in order that the offence is complete. By being open and honest with the manager, you are taking out part of the dishonesty element. Therefore the offence could be incomplete. I stress could. The key thing here is the belief by the thief that the owners would consent to the items being taken. If a cop would be dealing with this and they had their head screwed on they would see it could become a civil matter. Between the customer and the shop. Especially if you state an intention to pay for it in future.
But it would be open to interpretation and discretion. Some cops would arrest without giving it too much thought.
Honesty here is key. “I need this, and I can’t pay for it now.But I will in time. “
I hear of people filling their cars and then going in to the cashier and leaving an IOU note. There really is not a lot the law can do in this situation. It becomes a civil matter. It’s beggars belief though we still have the ability to fill up before paying. It comes back to honesty and trust I suppose.
This is my interpretation though and not a carte Blanche excuse to go on trolley dashes in the local supermarket or filling station. It is very much open to discretion by the boys and girls in blue.

[phil old leake]

What you say  normal is right but it’s not something I’d endorse.
Saying it should be dealt with with discretion by the police is also not something I’d endorse.
Who’s to say who is poor and needs the food and who’s taking the pxxx
It should be something for the courts the CPS or the courts to decide
Hopefully I will never be in this poor position. It’s sad that in this day and age the 7th largest economy in the world have people this poor

[normal rules]

What you say  normal is right but it’s not something I’d endorse.
Saying it should be dealt with with discretion by the police is also not something I’d endorse.
Who’s to say who is poor and needs the food and who’s taking the pxxx
It should be something for the courts the CPS or the courts to decide
Hopefully I will never be in this poor position. It’s sad that in this day and age the 7th largest economy in the world have people this poor

To clarify Phil, the discretion I allude to would be for cops to arrest on reasonable grounds to suspect theft, or leave stores to deal with as a civil matter. Each case would be on its own merits.
I have first hand experience of this. I have seen a mum at the checkout in Asda. She had a trolley full of food. Her card was declined at the checkout. She had no funds in her bank. The Manager was called and after a short discussion, she was allowed to on her way without paying. She had young kids with her. Was she taking the piss? Who knows. But it happens. I spoke to the manager afterwards and he said he took pity on her and didn’t want to cause a scene. It was an acceptable loss he said.
I can see the courts getting even busier if we do go into recession, and energy costs go up again in autumn. Because the energy firms will be cramming courts with default warrants.