Ideas being considered include replacing prison sentences with on the spot fines and community orders for even the most hardcore offenders. The SAP has come under attack from the British Retail Consortium, which strongly disagrees with the proposals, describing them as 'seriously flawed'.
According to the BRC, a policy of community orders and fines would do nothing to rehabilitate persistent offenders. It would also allow them to remain on the streets, giving shopkeepers no respite from criminals who continually target their stores.
The BRC's 2006 Retail Crime Survey revealed that shoplifters took more than£767 million from UK businesses last year and the total cost of crime was£2.1 billion.
The number of shoplifting incidents has risen 70 per cent since 2000 - despite the industry investing more than£4.3 billion in crime prevention - and the cost for retailers over that period was£13.26 billion.
Removing the threat of prison for even persistent offenders is 'handing crooks the right to steal', said the BRC.
BRC director-general Kevin Hawkins said: 'There is no point to keeping persistent criminals out of the courts if, in doing so, you give them the green light to re-offend. This is exactly what will happen if these sentencing guidelines are adopted.'
He added: 'Shoplifting should not be treated as a petty or victimless crime - it is neither - and the SAP should reject these weak and dangerous proposals.'
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