Mirroring the Shoplifters

Reporter T Holmes has a go at shoplifting and interviews Mr Maxwell who owns three shops in Plymouth and has recently installed a mirror and camera system which he has imported from the United States in an attempt to clamp down on the shoplifters. Security mirrors are convex wide angle affairs allowing shop blindspots to be seen by assistants and still in use today. Shrinkage is the term used by retailers for the financial losses incurred due to shoplifted goods.

CCTV, electronic article surveillance or radio-frequency identification are just some of the high tech ways stores try to combat shoplifting. Plymouth Against Retail Crime or Parc was set up in 2001 to tackle retail crime and antisocial behaviour. The Shoplifting Act was first introduced in England in 1699 but nowadays offenders may be charged under the 1986 Theft Act or the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act and face up to seven years in prison for the crime of larceny derived from common law. Retail theft is often CRAVED; concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable and disposable according to Criminology Professor Ronald V. Clarke of Rutgers University New Jersey.