Brazen Auckland grocery store purchasing trolley theft not reported to police, Countdown utilizing personal ‘safety measures’

Police are usually not investigating an incident the place a person overtly walked out of an Auckland grocery retailer with a trolley full of products with out paying for them.

However the grocery store is saying it’s utilizing its personal safety measures to detect and forestall shoplifting.

Final Thursday, a person in his 20s strolled out of a Countdown retailer in Meadowbank with a trolley crammed filled with groceries. When he was stopped by employees who requested for fee he overtly replied that was not going to.

A Countdown spokesperson confirmed police weren’t referred to as to the incident however stated the grocery store chain had a lot of safety measures to detect and forestall such felony acts.

“Sadly, theft is a actuality in retail occasionally and now we have a lot of safety measures in place to detect and forestall shoplifting,” stated the spokesperson.

“These embody CCTV, safety tags on sure gadgets, supervisors at check-outs and safety guards at a lot of our shops.”

Retail NZ chief govt Greg Harford stated it was normal recommendation that each one retailers ought to report any felony exercise they noticed to police.

“There’s a new Nationwide Retail Investigation Unit the place law enforcement officials take a look at studies of this type of crime to discover a sample, and ensure repeat offenders are correctly prosecuted and caught.

“If police do not find out about crime how will they have the ability to do something?”

Harford stated retail crime was a problem that was being taken very critically by the sector.

“Folks have been stealing from outlets for a few years however the quantity of such incidents up to now few months has elevated considerably.

“Not solely that however the degree of brazenness of offenders has additionally elevated in direction of theft, and the perspective in direction of employees is of entitlement and aggression.”

A client who noticed the occasion unfold described it as surprising.

“I heard one of many employees say to him, ‘You haven’t paid for these’ and the response from the thief was, ‘I am not going to.’

“And he boldly walked out. He didn’t run, he walked. He appeared assured and relaxed. Clearly an skilled grocery store thief,” the witness stated.

At first, the patron, who didn’t need to be recognized, stated he was shocked that grocery store staff didn’t do extra to cease the person from leaving, however in hindsight understood their reluctance.

“On the time I discovered the response to this incident from grocery store administration irritating however on reflection, what can they do?

“There may be at all times the large worry that an individual like this might have a weapon and if he had been bodily challenged the result might have been disastrous.”