The Conservative MP has spent lots of time meeting with businesses and parish councils across his constituency and has heard of the devastating impact shoplifting has on their business and people working in local shops.
In the House of Commons, Blake urged the Government to ‘rule out any possibility of allowing career criminals to avoid prison, even for short sentences’, calling hyper-prolific shoplifting ‘a scourge on our local communities and shop owners’.
Blake Stephenson MP said: “Mid Bedfordshire has such a fantastic, diverse range of independent businesses and they deserve to feel safe and secure in their shops.
“I’ve heard from local businesses and our parish councils about these ongoing issues and the Government needs to ensure career criminals spend time behind bars as a deterrent to reoffending and to give our local shop owners and people working in our shops the confidence they need.
“I know the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner is working on his revised Police and Crime Plan and I expect shoplifting to be a focus when it is published.”
In response to Blake’s question, the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood commented: “This Government have removed the effective immunity from prosecution for thefts relating to values under £200, so we are already taking clear, definitive action to deal with the problems that the hon. Gentleman sees in his constituency.
“I am interested in how we ensure that those who he correctly described as career criminals turn their back on a life of crime, because in the end that is the best strategy for cutting crime and making our streets safer.”
To continue his work to tackle shoplifting in Bedfordshire, Blake is now calling for local shop owners to get in touch with him and share their experiences by emailing blake.stephenson.mp@parliament.uk