SHOPLIFTING

Hokitika Guardian, 4 September 1928, Page 4

SHOPLIFTING

EPIDEMIC IN SYDNEY. government ASKED TO act SYDNEY, Aug. 23. “It is indeed a. very serious state of affairs,” said tho New South Wales Attorney-General, Dir Boyce," after he laid hoard tho complaints of the Retail Traders’ Association respecting shoplifters.

The Association wanted tlie Government to repeal sections of tho First Offenders Act which grants these offenders immunity from having their names published in the Press. It was also' desired that provision should he made for heavier penalties. “.Most of these women are not greatly alarmed at the prospect of being caught,” said otic speaker. “They arc quite aware that tlie Press cannot publish their names, nobody will know that they lmvo been engaged . ia thieving, and they are certain that the penalty inflicted by the magistrate will he liMßiinal.”

Another speaker referred to a woman whom lie described as Sydney’s meanest shoplifter. She stole the cream out of tho cream puffs. Tbit sounds ridiculous, hut it actually occurred in one of the city shops. The woman ordered cream puffs and tea, and when the waitress fulfilled the order and later brought the day docket the woman sajd that she would not have the cream puffs hut only the tea. She was only, charged for the tea. Afterwards it was discovered that she had eaten the cream out of the cream puffs, leaving the pastry behind. It was the summit, the ultimate pinnacle ,of extreme meanness, but Mr Boyce could not suppress a smile when tho incident was related so seriously.

Another thief, almost as paltry, stole half-a-dozen very chic buttons off a Paris model frock, and yet another stole tho hair-ribbons off some dolls.

The deputation to 31,r Boyce, howover, was not so much, concerned with them extreme cases but with the operations of cleverly-organised gangs of women who exacted heavy toll of the ■big emporiums, especially during sale time, in Sydney. Mr H. M. Macfeen, president of the Association, said that the experience of the trade had been that to hear shop-lifting cases tn camera only tended to increase this form of crime, which ■ was assuming alarming proportions. The' women shoplifters often worked in gangs, combining together so ns to take advantage of the existing legislation. When one was caught and fined and was no longer a “first offender,” her place was taken by. another “clean skin,” and the convicted woman was also promoted to another position in the gang —that of disposing of tlie stolen property.. In some of the shops the tiiefts ran into four figures, and were a source of less and worry to tenders. The shops also had to hear the expense of employing highly-paid staffs of hou«> detectives to protect them from the raiders. Mir Macken explained some of his personal experiences, anil described how out'-* gang of girls, all of whom were under the age of 18 years, met every morning to discuss the plan of campaign for the day. The invariable plan was to visitor busy part of a shop, engage the shop, assistants in a discussion of the goods offered for sale, harass them with their requirements, while the others would he f'<ce to make wholesale thefts. Goods which had been attached by light chains to the shelves on which they were exhibited were stolen.

“Wo submit,” said Air Mac-ken, “that the shop thief should not be entitled to the provisions of the First Offenders Act when it is positively <r tablished by the goods that she has in her possession that she has operated successfully in numbers of shops on the day that she is caught in one or otlier of them.”

One woman who was recently captured was found to lie in the possession of a specially eonstruced attache ease The side of the ease was so arranged that goods could ho pushed through a cleverly-concealed flap without the necessity of opening the case and at trading attention. At her home the detectives found hundreds of pounds worth of stolen property. Another woman wore a big. wide fur stole draped over her shoulders. There was a huge pouch in the lining, and it was simplicity itself to slip valuable articles into the pouch and leave the shop undetected. One of the peculiar features of tnis class of thief was the fact that most of the women were in .ecfmfortablo circumstances. Their crimes wore not duo to poverty. Really, they had no economic necessity to steal. Mr Boyce’s answer to the members of toe deputation was very sympathetic.