Elementary school shoplifters. The number of shopliftings is increasing

According to the latest data from the Police Headquarters, over 40,000 were found in 2023. shoplifting, which means an increase of over 22%. compared to last year. There were also 278.5 thousand recorded. shoplifting offenses. That's 16.9 percent. more than in 2022 – calculates the Commercial News website.

Crime of theft from PLN 800

Thieves are encouraged by the lower limits that are raised every few years to make theft a crime. From October 2023, it is a crime to steal items worth more than PLN 800 (previously it was PLN 500). Up to this amount it can only be considered an offense. Each announcement to increase the minimum amount for a crime causes great opposition from sellers who know that it will encourage thieves. Despite this, the government is changing the regulations, which is argued by, among others, the desire to reduce the number of shop crime cases dealt with by the courts.

Self-service checkouts also favor thieves, as they make it easier to transfer more expensive goods at the price of cheaper ones.

Frogs fight against thefts committed by children

While a large supermarket can “include the costs of theft” in its costs, it is a very serious problem for small stores. Shopkeepers cope as best they can. A few days ago, a photo of an advertisement hanging in one of Żabki in Ursynów appeared on the Internet. The store is located close to the school, and within a few months the youngest customers bought goods worth over PLN 2,000. zloty. They worked together – one of them hid the goods under his jacket, the others made an artificial crowd and talked to the seller.

In this – but also in other stores that experienced theft by children – rules came into force according to which school-age children are not allowed to enter the store in groups of more than three people. If they still want to enter in a larger group, they must leave their backpacks at the entrance.

Commentators on the new rules are divided in their opinions. Some believe that it is a violation of students' dignity – because other groups, e.g. large families, are not allowed to enter in groups, others empathize with the situation of franchisees and believe that they have the right to take care of their interests in this way.

We received a stand for the Żabka store.

“There are no restrictions on the entry of minors in Żabka chain stores. The store staff is also not entitled to any inspections of customers' personal belongings. The instructions described in the media, which appeared in one of the stores in Poznań, were placed without our knowledge and acceptance. We contacted the franchisee running this outlet and officially informed her that such action violates the rules of the franchise agreement. As police statistics show, petty thefts in small self-service stores are a growing problem for the entire market, which is why we believe it is necessary to implement appropriate support system solutions. small entrepreneurs in the fight against this practice. Modern monitoring systems and alarm systems are installed in all stores of our chain, and franchisees and employees are regularly trained in counteracting theft. Additionally, in the event of an increased number of reports from a given facility, we commission additional patrols at the company's expense protection,” we read.