Shop owners are asking: When will shoplifterness become a crime?
According to SKY News, an M&S executive issued a stern warning about worsening crime rates. Retail director Thinus Keeve called for action after a group of young people caused a disturbance in South London last week. Similar warnings have also come from Tesco. In fact, all supermarket owners complain about similar crime rates.
Store shoplifting is increasing proportionally. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is impunity. Even if the stolen goods are handed over to the police and the crime is proven, it doesn’t do any good. Along with the increase in in-store theft rates due to the worsening economic crisis, the increasing age of the thieves is another cause for concern. It is now possible to see people of all ages stealing food, clothes, etc. in stores. Previously, this was limited to certain age groups, but now theft is spreading among those aged 15 to 65.
There are also conscious thieves among the young people. At Yidl, three teenagers caught on camera and by security told them they wouldn’t be touched or searched because they were under 18, and they walked away. Often, the police arrive, take statements, put the thief in a police car, and the next day you can see the same thief back in the store.
While Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and others are building secure areas to protect their customers, smaller supermarkets have stopped calling the police and are instead taking the thief to a place without cameras and punishing them themselves.
In the Ewisham area of South London, when store owners handed over a thief to the police, the police asked what he had stolen. Upon receiving the answer that he had stolen food and alcohol, the police became angry and told them: “Don’t bother us with such small things. Since he stole food and alcohol, he must have been hungry. If you really want to, take him to a place without cameras and punish him yourselves, but don’t be too harsh.”
Store owners and managers keep asking the same question: When will theft become a crime in this country?