SHOP-LIFTERS AND THEIR TRICKS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 17, 23 April 1892, Page 430

SHOP-LIFTERS AND THEIR TRICKS.

Ladies who ‘ go shopping ’ in the West End of London, or in the great colonial emporiums, never imagine that they are narrowly scrutinised by detectives, not, however, by those belonging to the police. The ‘shop walkers,’ too, keep a watchful eye upon the customer at the counter, and in some firms, it is said, women are employed as spies on their own sex. It is done constantly in America ; but these female detectives are not always in that country hired by the tradesmen, for sometimes they are on the staff of private inquiry agents, and their instructions may be to watch secretly certain ladies, and to ascertain ‘ whether shopping alone occupies so much time.’ As a general rule, shop-lfting is practised by women thieves. The ‘ operator ’ has a bag fastened with straps around the waist, into which she can easily drop anything she may steal. ‘ Some women arrange their skirts,’ a detective says, ‘ so that the whole front, from waist to feet, forms a bag which can be stuffed full of feathers, laces, etc., without any outward sign.’ A very handy receptacle for the storing away of fine goods is a muff—quite a natural and innocent-looking thing in itself, but very dangerous when utilised by a shop-lifter. The woman puts her muff on a pile of handkerchiefs, and while she examines something with one hand, quietly pulls handkerchiefs, or anything else within reach, into the muff with the other.’ A very dangerous class of shop-lifters is composed of men who have been formerly in the employ of a firm and have been discharged for dishonesty. They know the ways of the warehouse so thoroughly that an ordinary policeman would fail to detect them in wrong-doing, as there is nothing suspicious in the passing in and out of a shop with a bale of goods. Theft is therefore easy. A little while ago a French customer entered a city warehouse and ordered several pieces of silk. The goods were selected from a considerable stock, and the floor soon became piled with them. A shop-lifter saw his opportunity, coolly stepped to the pile, and shouldered five or six of the pieces, deliberately marching off with them to the door. A detective had, however, recognised him, and on the threshold he was accosted, and finally arrested, fortunately for him, as he received in the end a much lighter sentence that he would have had if he had been apprehended in the street. There are ‘ single handed ’ thieves who have no confederates, and who make a speciality of victimising particular classes of tradesmen. A rather clumsy method was recently adopted by a man who had a partiality for gold watch chains. He used to go into jewellers’ shops, get the attendants to show him samples, and then when several chains were on the counter, he would adroitly substitute a brass chain of the same pattern for a real gold one, which he would pocket, and leave the shop upon some plausible excuse. This mode of robbery was only a variation of the plan which expert diamond thieves have occasionally practised, their method having been to prepare, at considerable expense, a model in paste of the brilliants which they intended to secure.