IR-01-23-24298
13 September 2023
James
[FYI request #23671 email]
Dear James
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated 2 August 2023 in which
you requested the following:
How many retail thefts have been reported to NZ Police from January 2022 to August
1st 2023 that involve a dollar value of less than $10.00.
Police record offences based on what is prescribed in legislation. For example, under section
223 of the Crimes Act 1961 there is provision to record offences such as ‘Shoplifts (under
$500),’ which would include those that involve a dol ar value of less than $10.
Please refer to the b table showing the number of reported victimisations for ‘Shoplifts (under
$500)’ offences for the period from January 2022 to June 2023. Police publishes statistics one
month in arrears. Statistics for July and August 2023 wil be released on the last working day of
August and September 2023, respectively.
Table 1: Reported victimisations for ‘Shoplifts (under $500)’ offences, 1 January 2022 to
June 2023
Reported
Victimisations
2022
46,013
Jan – Jun 2023
27,085
It is not possible to further identify the specific value of offending involved in each case. In some
cases this would require reviewing the individual files, while in other cases the value may not
have been estimated or recorded.
To that extent, your request is refused under section 18(g) of the OIA as the information
requested is not held.
Police National Headquarters
180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
We note that in this instance, the figures provided herein count al reported victimisations
involving at least one ‘Shoplifts (Est Val Under $500)’ offence regardless of whether they are
the most serious offence or not. Therefore, please note that these figures may differ to figures
published elsewhere as official statistics where Victimisations are usually classified according to
the most serious offences within an offence division.
Although for the reasons I have not been able to provide the exact information you have sought,
I trust my response is stil helpful in providing you alternative information. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me via [email address].
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Zane Kearns
Director (Acting)
Performance and Data
New Zealand Police
