Hi there, Don't want to sound arrogant but wanted to help clear things up a little. Civil recovery claims are exactly that, they are civil matters not criminal ones. The store is perfectly entitled to issue your sister with a civil recovery claim for the goods stolen regardless whether they were returned in unused condition or not. On top of this the restore will also add charges relating to wages of store detectives etc. These can rack up considerable costs but they are not fines as one user referred to them, as mentioned before they are civil actions and many of the costs are predetermined by agreements in place with stores and CRC agents anyway. I don't know what happens if you don't pay them as I only used to issue them not follow them up, but as they are civil matters I certainly cannot see police involvement again! As for the NI number, as mentioned this would be for identification purposes and possibly to assist in the form filling of CRC notices. There is no legal issue as far as I can see with asking this and as your sister supplied it there is not much you could do even if there was. Finally a store is more than entitled to ban a person from their premises for life or for a certain time. Under law you are 'invited' to shop inside a store and it is a stores right to 'uninvite you'. This is why if you are asked to leave a store and refuse the police will have the power to remove you, shops are not public places, they are places open to the public and they are two different things. The photo etc. Taken of your sister may have been shared with store detectives of other retailers nearby or with a local crime partnership as most towns and cities have nowadays in order to raise awareness of offences being committed in the area.