SHOP-LIFTING EVIL.

Otaki Mail, 1 February 1922, Page 2

SHOP-LIFTING EVIL.

Chiefs of th«' detective stall's of the large London stores will meet in conference with the object of evolving a joint scheme to frustrate the raids of shop-lifters, which have shown a marked tendency to increase, says a Loudon paper. Lighty-four firms, with a total capital of approximately £40,000,000, aro concerned it- the proposal. On firm at a recimt <>to«kta.king discovered a deficiency of £20,000. It is suggested that instead, at at present, of a house maintaining its own detective stalf, operating exclusively within the establishment, a common force should be created, available lor all the firms involved. This would ensure the mobility whi'-h i.- essentia] to checking the depredations of thieves. According to Mr T. Ernest Jackson, secretary of the Ketail Distributors'Association, the marauders may be divided into three classes: —Victims of a sudden temptation, kleptomaniacs, and professionals. "Professionals," he said, "seem to be working more than ever in organised gangs. They are more active in the province--, possibly because they fear they are too well known in London. "One such gang, consisting of four women, smartly dressed and of good appearance, is moving through the North of England, and from ten towns wo have received complaints. "Their last coup was the theft of a fur coat valued at £4OO. Three of them kept the small staff in the department engaged, while the fourth placed th coat in a box with the firm's !s.bol on —which she had entered carrying—and calmly departed with it, They have evaded capture so far. "In London a method is being increasingly adopted of telephoning for articles to be sent immediately to the address of a customer, and when these are despatched one of the gang calls on the customer, explains that the parcel has been left in mistake, and thus secures- possession of it. "In only a small percentage of the .suspected thefts i» action taken," aided Mr Jackson, "but it has become imperative, in order to stamp out the evil, that more prosecutions should be instituted—in the interests of the public as well as of th* store*." An obvious defect of the existing system is that shop-lifttrs and pick-pock-ets, if detected in one emp«rium can transfer their activities to another, where they will rr>t he known to the detective staff. A centra! force would overcome this difficulty by keeping the detective*, most of whom are wctoea, moving zo* only through the London store*, bat through the provincial stores also. If thi* plan i*' approved and adopted by the retailers, the organisation will probably uiti* to those concerned its OTrri "Hue and Cry." ,

During the first few days of the great eklipsal sale our ca-.h register registered ever a thousand transactions for. itanakaa and adjacent towns. K? wonder when you can buy boys' sum* mer pants for 5s lid and men's sojj thre" pairs for 2* M* *