SHOPLIFTING

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 85, 10 April 1935, Page 13

SHOPLIFTING

DOMINION LOSSES

POSITION IN WELLINGTON

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

Comments on, the shoplifting menace, made in the official organ of the Drapers', Clothiers,' and Boot Retailers' Federation of New Zealand were published on Monday, and today they were followed up by a "Post" reporter1, who was informed that the sum of £500,000 a year, estimated to represent the losses by shoplifting in New Zealand, was not by any means exaggerated; Indeed, it was stated that it was a conservative estimate. That there should be so much shoplifting in this country probably comes as a great surprise to most people. It was a point mentioned by Mr. W. Simm, Wellington manager of the D.I.C. The prevalence of shoplifting was not suspected and not realised, he said, by the general public. A QUESTION OF TEMPTATION. Mr. Simm was asked whether he thought the fact that nowadays shopI keepers displayed their goods to aj greater extent had not had the effect of accentuating temptation to steal. He replied that that suggestion had often been made, but he did not think lit was sound. Mr. Simm, who has been in the drapery trade for very, many years, referred to the earlier days in New Zealand. The practice then, he said, was for shopkeepers to make a lavish display of goods outside their premises, and it could not be said that that . led to wholesale thieving. It was true certainly that the community was smaller then. Today, with a greater population and larger shops, the detection of shoplifters was not easy. It is common knowledge that among people who have been apprehended on |a- charge of stealing goods from a jshop are some occupying a prominent position iri the community. Women seem to be the worst offenders. The reason is difficult to determine. It may be because of their greater love of finery than men, the fact that Dame Fashion plays a more import ant part in their lives, or that they do more shopping, or it may be that I men are a little more cunning and are more difficult to detect. Men are caught;, of course, but the fact remains that among those apprehended there are more women than men. ACTION TO BE TAKEN. Some interesting Sidelights on the subject were given by Mr. Simm in response to "The Post's" reporter's inquiries. He said that people with good homes and in comfortable circumstances had been caught redhanded. The whole' subject had been discussed at the conference of the federation held in Napier recently, when it had been decided unanimously that in every case where a shoplifter was caught the police; should be communicated with, irrespective of who the person was. It was considered that such a step was vitally necessary in an endeavour to combat the menace. , Mr. Sirrim mentioned that in Christchurch a number of large houses had engaged a. woman private detective. She went round from shop to.. shop, "keeping her eyes skinned," and already she had caught several people. Some such system was contemplated in Wellington. The matter was receiving consideration, and it was definite that something would be done. There was a case in Christchurch the other day, said' Mr. Simm, of a charwoman being caught stealing a small article. Her detection gave the police an opportunity of searching her house, where they found an accumulation of unused goods, valued by experts at £600. It was impossible to trace where the goods had come from, because they had been taken from shops all over the city. This woman had stored in her house clothing, furnishings, toilet accessories,' books, and fancy goods. In. a house in Dunedin £100 worth of goods stolen from shops had been found. Shoplifting was particularly bad in Auckland, continued Mr. Simm. It was prevalent in all the main centres, and the prevalence of the crime was } not generally realised. BAG SNATCHERS. Mr. Simm said that apart from the individual shoplifter, there was another gang operating. They were persons who were after money and concentrated on ladies' handbags, left for a moment or two, on a counter or chair. A customer perhaps put her bag down for a second, while she tried on a hat. While her back was turned her bag was snatched up, and invariaably it was found in some corner with the money extracted. During the last four months, said Mr.. Simm, six cases of this kind had come under his notice. One bag had been found in a lavatory, another in a telephone box, and one in a lane off a main street. The warehouse manager of one of the leading book and stationery shops in Wellington was also interviewed. He said that so far as his.firm was concerned there had not been as many cases of shoplifting during the last few years as there used to be. That, he thought, was due to some extent to the fact that the staff was instructed to be on the gui vive and also to the fact that books were displayed differently. and; on lower tables, which did not give people the same opportunity to hide behind and slip a book or two into their pockets. He agreed that women were the worst offenders, but the school holidays were quite often a troublesome period. During the last school holidays several boys had been caught, and it was ascertained on inquiries being made by the police that they | had > been stealing from a number of shops. Although a wary eye was kept on people inspecting the books on the counters, care was taken that no embarrassment was caused to anyone. The utmost discretion was practised, and it was necessary that it should. PETTY THEFTS. The manager of a popular shopping store, where goods, of all kinds are on view, said that although his firm experienced a number of cases of, shoplifting, the thefts were mostly of a petty nature. They had not found thieving to have reached such a stage as to warrant any special measures beyond the sales girls being on the alert.