Shoplifting

[cromwell]

We have had an outbreak of shoplifting in the village.
The ladies in our Sainsbury's local have put security tags on bottles of wine and trays of meat because of this.
It seems to be linked to a druggie who has doubtless been moved into this village from outside. Apparently he's just blatant.
Walks into the shop, steals what he wants and walks out again. This happens late at night (they stay open until 11pm).
When challenged by a member of the public "Are you going to pay for those?" (bottles of wine he was stealing) his reply was "No, and I'm not paying for these either" before smashing other wine bottles.
He has also threatened a member of the public saying "I have a syringe".
He'll come unstuck before too much longer, but this sort of thing never used to happen around here.

[saundra]

Its a sign of the times in afraid they no the police won't bother its every where

[Workingman]

Shoplifting has gone on since there have been shops.

We had a shop in the early 1980s and it went on then, but we had a big Alsatian and most of our stock was behind the counter.

IMHO opinion shoplifting has got worse over time with more and more shops being self-service for the goods we want to buy (or lift).

[TheOstrich]

We have had an outbreak of shoplifting in the village.
The ladies in our Sainsbury's local have put security tags on bottles of wine and trays of meat because of this.
It seems to be linked to a druggie who has doubtless been moved into this village from outside. Apparently he's just blatant.
He'll come unstuck before too much longer, but this sort of thing never used to happen around here.

Yes, it's just down to a few rampant ne'erdowells. We have similar here, a druggie couple begging on the street and shoftlifting, even lifting the Air Ambulance charity box from the local chip shop. The whole thing caught on CCTV, the police take no action. Increasing reports locally of over-night thefts from cars as well.

[cromwell]

I suppose that shoplifting has indeed existed since there were shops.
It has doubled in one year though, from 2022 to 2023.
https://news.sky.com/story/shoplifting- ... s-13070857

But even that isn't what shocks me.
It is the blatancy of the theft; the cocky arrogance that says "I'm doing what I want" without much fear of any reprisals. The casual violence that goes with it, especially when most retail workers are women.

This isn't a schoolkid nicking a bar of chocolate, this is some of the dregs of society doing what they want, when they want; and that is a situation that needs stopping asap.

[Workingman]

Cromwell, I witnessed what you are saying a while back.

I was in the local Co-op and a couple of lads were clearing a shelf. Me and two other customers thought they were staff until they walked out, bags full, with one of them picking up a few jars of coffee from the display at the end of the aisle.

The member of staff on the till said that they had them on CCTV and the police would be informed...

As I was driving away I noticed them hiding behind another parade of shops but when I was arriving home they were coming out of the ginnel next to where I live with their bags of loot over their shoulders heading for the local estate. I reported this to the Co-op manager only to be told it was in the hands of their insurers.

The thing is, we all pick up the tab for these actions in increased prices for goods and insurance.

[cromwell]

We do pick up the tab, yes. People think that stealing from a big corporation is a victimless crime, but it isn't.

[Suff]

I had a laptop stolen from my car in Slough back in 99. When I contacted the police they gave me a phone number an said call that in the morning. I said "are you not going to come out and check the crime scene". The answer was "If nobody was hurt, no".

I called the number in the morning and they said "Here is your number for your insurance". That was is. I later learned that it was local druggies who were stealing 1 laptop per day and putting them on ebay. Demanding local collect and cash only.

In my bag was my palm pilot. Which the druggies got into and started calling people on the phone list. One of them got me. "I know who you are and I can Jack you any time I want" said Druggie. "You don't know WHO I am and if you try to Jack me I will kill you" said I. Druggie was most upset and told me I didn't know who he was. To which I replied "I know what you do and where you do it, if you want me to come after you and kill you just keep on phoning me". After a few mostly disconcerted ramblings he cut off and never phoned me again. He did however phone members of the family who laughed at him.

This is what happens when the Police refuse to do their job and just push people onto the insurance companies. Would I have killed him? Unlike most people, for 7 years I was indoctrinated into killing the threat. Recognise the threat and kill it. Not hit or detain or punch or knock down. Kill.

[cruiser2]

A couple of years ago when my wife was still alive, we went to Iceland one Sunday morning. soon afterit opened at 10.00 a.m. Suddnly one of the male staff,
ran out of thestore and stopped a young girl. She had sto;len a packet of bcon a bottle of coke and some other food. She had ripped opeb the bacon and
had started to eat it.
The manager of Iceland said he could not sell any of the food as it mat have been contaminated.

Bring back the old corner shop where everything wasbehind the counter.

[Suff]

I was in Aldi in Lincoln yesterday. Someone (couldn't see them), in a white puffer jacket, went to the booze and simply started lifting bottles and putting them in his jacket. The woman on the till told me that if he is challenged before leaving the shop he simply smashes them on the floor right there.

The police refuse to come out and only give an insurance number. So I'm told.

This time a really large customer started challenging him before the manager could get to him. Between 2 customers and the manager they got the bottles off him and evicted him from the shop.

There is only one reason this is going on. Because the police refuse to police and I suspect pretty strongly that this is because the Judges refuse to punish them if they can even get the CPS to prosecute.