PILFERING IN SHOPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21981, 16 June 1933, Page 6

PILFERING IN SHOPS

A MAGISTRATE’S SUGGESTION UNIFORM FOR WATCHERS. (Fbom Ode Own Cobeespondent.) LONDON, May 12. In view of the continuance of theft* at London drapery stores, and the large number of fines that are imposed, Mr Ivan Snell, the Marylebone magistrate, has been making some personal visits and has made a suggestion. Mr Snell announced in court his opinions. He said: “Trying to’put down shoplifting by sending the offenders to prison has failed. The big stores have detectives dressed as ordinary individuals, so that people cannot recognise them. Customers find a great quantity of attractive goods set out, and women of all ages, decent, lawabiding women, wives and mothers, are being tempted to steal. “ These big shops have been, to my mind, making a mistake. They should make some effort to get rid of this tempting of women by their methods of display. UNIFORM FOR DETECTIVES. “I wish to hold out a suggestion to . them that instead of detectives being disguised as customers they should be clearly marked as detectives, and that, in addition, there should be notices to the effect that there are detectives watching and that people who do pilfer from these counters will be prosecuted, I offer that suggestion, and I hope it will be acted upon, for at the moment the position is intolerable.” If the suggestion were carried out, and people still stole, he (Mr Snell) could send them to prison. » Before the court at the time were six women charged with shoplifting. Fines varying from £5 to £2 wore imposed. 09 PER CENT. RESPECTABLE WOMEN. A welfare worker who has been associated with Mr Snell says that the latter went to a number of stores and visited the departments which seem to have the most attraction for shoplifters. “Mr Cairns, the former Marylebone magistrate,” the welfare worker stated, “ decided to impose imprisonment on all offenders. After three months he asked the representatives of the stores if the pilfering had been checked. It had not. “Mr Snell’s suggestions are an effort to avoid all the misery of the women sent to prison by checking the evil at its source. He realises that 99 per cent, of the women arc respectable people, who have, fallen to a sudden temptation. They are the type to whom some visible warning would be sufficient.” “ LOSSES WOULD INCREASE.”

Leading London shopkeepers, however, do not seem to favour Mr Snell’s suggestions. “ If we had uniformed detectives the shoplifter would watch their movements and our losses would be greater than ever,” said one.

A member of another prominent firm said that one might just as well paint police cars a special colour so that bandits could recognise them. Prison was the only method to keep down shoplifting. Another view expressed was: “Wa could not disturb the atmosphere of our stores with warning notices, and uniforms would frighten away honest people. A comfortable air about a shopping place is the first requisite. If a person is out to steal, he or she will steal at one end of the store while the detective is at the other end. It would be no use carrying out Mr Snell’s suggestion unless all tbs stores, did it.”