THIEVING FROM SHOPS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 152, 14 June 1935, Page 5

THIEVING FROM SHOPS

Not Common in Hastings PUBLIC GENERALLY HONEST In view of some comment made in the Hastings police Court to the effect that shoplifting in the town is not uncommon, a “Tribune” reporter to-day asked a number of retailers to what extent thieving is prevalent. The answers were unanimously reassuring, for although, it was said, thieves are active now and again, shoplifting has not attained to the dimensions of being a menace, nor of giving grounds for deploring any lack of honesty on the public’s part.

The manager of one large store, in which goods aro so displayed a s to make the tafck of would-be thivees more than ordinarily easy, said that at least in his experience there was not a great deal of shoplifting in Hastings, and that ho did not consider it a serious matter. That view appears to be the view of others, and it was supplemented by the interesting comment that thieving from retail shops is a good deal less prevalent than it was three years ago, when there was more distress.

One or two people in the town, said another prominent retailer, are well known and carefully watched for their thieving propensities, and therefore are given few opportunities. Stealing from shop counters, he said, was more prevalent in tho winter because of increased distress, but it had declined in the last two or three years. Some of those who indulged in thieving were quite young and irresponsible.

In Christchurch, eaid the same retailer, several of tne larger firms jointly employed a woman who casually toured the shops and learned to know those who were inclined to be dishonest. She was unknown to the general public, and the assistance that she gave was greatly valued by the police. Ako, it paid the firms who employed her. Yet another Hastings shopkeeper said that the amount of thieving from his shop was of little account. Things were missed sometimes, but the people generally were just as honest as the shopkeepers themselves. “There are different sorts of thieving,” he said; “some visible and some invisible. Some of it is good, open, and frank thieving. Some of it goes by another and gentler name.”