Spar putting pictures of "shoplifters" on the door.

raah! · 09-08-2009 11:44PM

Ho ho! not a bad idea really. In a way it reinstates the type of informal justice systems people enjoy in small towns, where if someone steals something everyone hears and thus revilles the brigand. With this some people from the shop lifters circles must see it sooner or later and be all "heey". Or maybe not, maybe they'd say "aww, you got caught, we're all scumbags"

Now I think it's bad, a kind of vigilante justice. Small towns are ****.

ScumLord · 09-08-2009 11:46PM

On the one hand I don't trust the state to know what justice is, on the other hand mob justice is the justice of idiots. I have no faith in humanity any more.

It'll all end in tears.

Run_to_da_hills · 09-08-2009 11:50PM

jhegarty wrote: »

I assume the shoplifter has left the shop when they put the picture up.

No proof, this is where I could see a lawsuit. Since the introduction of the bag levi many customers now bring their own bags. I have often seen customers placing items from the shelves into these bags rather than use trolleys and at the checkout taling them back out and running them through the scanners. Likewise if you place an item in your pocket and take it out at checkout and pay for it you cannot be done.

Sir Molle · 09-08-2009 11:54PM

I called the gardaí, the station of which is about 100m from the place I work, when I saw some scumbag kid leg it out of the shop with a bottle of wine. They know who she was, and they caught her in the park across the road underage drinking the stolen bottle. She wasn't charged.

All those people claiming we should leave this to the justice system don't really know what they're talking about, because unless you're talking organised shop lifting, like the way the roma do, then nobody will ever get done for it.

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

No proof, this is where I could see a lawsuit. Since the introduction of the bag levi many customers now bring their own bags. I have often seen customers placing items from the shelves into these bags rather than use trolleys and at the checkout taling them back out and running them through the scanners. Likewise if you place an item in your pocket and take it out at checkout and pay for it you cannot be done.

I don't know why people are crying about the risk of innocent people getting their photos put up. Shop lifters stick out like a sore thumb. People who put things in their own bags instead of using the baskets/trolleys in shops are usually older and naieve. The vast majority of the time they give you the bag to unpack, scan and pack again. It's on par with people bringing their own papers in to a shop and buying stuff. You can tell if someone came in with a paper, and it's just as easy to tell if someone's trying to pass off as having come in with a product when they've picked one up off the shelves in the shop because they're usually very panicky.

rubadub · 10-08-2009 12:19AM

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

No proof, this is where I could see a lawsuit.

Again- proof of what? Did you read what the OP said, the shop made no claims at all.

grenache · 10-08-2009 12:20AM

jayteecork wrote: »

As you walk into my local Spar, there are pictures of persons leaving the premises, recorded on the store security cameras.

These are pictures of people of people Spar deemed to have been shoplifting and have posted their pictures in the hope of disgracing them i guess.

While I don't think this is a bad idea per se, I'm just wondering about the legaility of the whole idea.
I mean, what happened to being innocent until proven guilty?

It's pretty serious posting someone's picture on a shopfront claiming them to be a thief without the benefit of proof.

I've noticed this practice in a Spar in Cork city too.

Fair fcuks to them!

I would love to be able to do the same thing in the off licence i work in. We get the odd scumbag/whino coming in swiping chocolate and the odd can of cider. We print out pictures of them doing it, show them them the pictures, and then bar them. The same scumbags then have the cheek to come back in the next week and act dumb, denying they ever stole anything.

10-08-2009 12:22AM

Im sure the stores are fairly sure that the person was shoplifting before they decide to stick their photo up. Chances are if you blatantly stole from a shop, you're not going to go in and argue about it when you see your picture in the window. You'd be hanging yourself, as the store would no doubt call the Gardai.

Seems like a good idea to me.

Power City in Drogheda do it, too.

ScumLord · 10-08-2009 12:32AM

Sir Molle wrote: »

I don't know why people are crying about the risk of innocent people getting their photos put up. Shop lifters stick out like a sore thumb. People who put things in their own bags instead of using the baskets/trolleys in shops are usually older and naieve. The vast majority of the time they give you the bag to unpack, scan and pack again. It's on par with people bringing their own papers in to a shop and buying stuff. You can tell if someone came in with a paper, and it's just as easy to tell if someone's trying to pass off as having come in with a product when they've picked one up off the shelves in the shop because they're usually very panicky.

Is it? Do shops really watch every person that comes in and what they brought in?

I always bring a bag with me to the shop, fill it up and empty it out at the till.

In small towns like mine it could easily escalate to the point where old folks that don't like the look of some young one accuse them of all kinds of things (behind their back usually).

At the same time shopkeepers shouldn't be afraid to catch the person out there and then. After the fact without prove is bollix, if you think someone is stealing from you on a regular basis it's easy enough to catch them out.

Biggins · 10-08-2009 12:36AM

Deleted User wrote: »

...Power City in Drogheda do it too.

Correct and have been doing it for some time now.

Sir Molle · 10-08-2009 12:44AM

ScumLord wrote: »

Is it? Do shops really watch every person that comes in and what they brought in?

I always bring a bag with me to the shop, fill it up and empty it out at the till.

In small towns like mine it could easily escalate to the point where old folks that don't like the look of some young one accuse them of all kinds of things (behind their back usually).

At the same time shopkeepers shouldn't be afraid to catch the person out there and then. After the fact without prove is bollix, if you think someone is stealing from you on a regular basis it's easy enough to catch them out.

I'm aware of most people who are in my shop, and my colleagues are too. While we don't watch every single person, we do watch the suspicious types who wander in (people under the influence of anything, scum bags, roma, large groups of kids, travellers etc.). It's very easy to tell by the demeanor of someone whether they're telling the truth or not about whether they have brought something in to the shop.

ChocolateSauce · 10-08-2009 01:48AM

I think it is probably illegal, at least until such a time as the accused is found guilty in a court of law, and with good reason I suppose. A shop has a right to refuse admission to anyone, but to claim a person is a criminal is defamation. If the shop has evidence enough to believe a person has stolen from them they should have them arrested and tried, not take matters into their own hands.

What they should do is put their picture up saying they're banned, without giving a reason. This way they're not making a claim, but people will still know.

Sir Molle · 10-08-2009 01:55AM

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

If the shop has evidence enough to believe a person has stolen from them they should have them arrested and tried, not take matters into their own hands.

It's only the organised shop lifters who ever get arrested/prosecuted. The gardaí usually don't bother with it.

Cianos · 10-08-2009 02:43AM

In my area people make posters and put them up around the streets, showing photographs of known nazis living in the district, with names and addresses even written on them.

ChocolateSauce · 10-08-2009 03:28AM

Cianos wrote: »

In my area people make posters and put them up around the streets, showing photographs of known nazis living in the district, with names and addresses even written on them.

The Germans have a perhaps understandable but still misguided and outdated approach to modern Nazism, so this doesn't really surprise me, although it is kind of shocking.

astrofool · 10-08-2009 09:55AM

The RTE and BBC will always show pictures of suspects of crimes on their shows, how is this any different?

WillieCocker · 10-08-2009 10:01AM

Good idea.
In fact i would welcome adding small rewards for information on said shoplifter.
If he's a scumbag, you can kill two birds with one stone.:pac:

rubadub · 10-08-2009 10:26AM

jayteecork wrote: »

Ok they didn't specifically state it

rubadub wrote: »

Solid proof of what? they have made no claims.

rubadub wrote: »

Again- proof of what? Did you read what the OP said, the shop made no claims at all.

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

I think it is probably illegal, at least until such a time as the accused is found guilty in a court of law, and with good reason I suppose.

What is illegal?? AGAIN- they made NO claims.

Biggins · 10-08-2009 10:34AM

astrofool wrote: »

The RTE and BBC will always show pictures of suspects of crimes on their shows, how is this any different?

They mention at appropriate times words to the effect "we have CCTV footage of a suspected criminal/thief/murderer, etc..."
The fact that they mention the word "suspected" is not just done for clarification into one category - its also done as to pose an open question - positioning them harder to be sued.

Also...

Its one thing to stick a pic up and put under it "Thief" in a shop without a conviction made.
Stick up a picture of the crime being done, perhaps showing their face and add a sign under it "Thief?" is a different story.

Gummy Panda · 10-08-2009 10:38AM

rubadub wrote: »

What is illegal?? AGAIN- they made NO claims.

It could be breaking the data protection act by disclosing this information publicly.

Data Protection & CCTV

Biggins · 10-08-2009 10:41AM

Gummy Panda wrote: »

It could be breaking the data protection act by disclosing this information publicly.

Data Protection & CCTV

Possible, this is true but if the criminal is found guilty in a court of law and subsequently reported in the papers for what he/she did, that leaves the shop owner covered.
They would only further be stating what's already in the public domain.

rubadub · 10-08-2009 10:42AM

Gummy Panda wrote: »

It could be breaking the data protection act by disclosing this information publicly.

Data Protection & CCTV

Yeah, I wondered about that, and already mentioned that it's the only reason I can think of. All the rest of the posters talking of it being illegal have thought the shop actually has a sign saying they are shoplifters, but they do not.

Aldito · 10-08-2009 10:46AM

Sir Molle wrote: »

The majority of people who steal are Roma, Teenagers or people on heavy drugs. If the teenagers are local, they odds are that someone will know them and they will be shamed out of doing it again, how ever the other two groups tend to be rather shameless.

Slight generalisation there...

SV · 10-08-2009 10:51AM

Aldito wrote: »

Slight generalisation there...

not really.
it's very true tbh.

ScouseMouse · 16-09-2009 10:55PM

Ok.

Any opinions of this scenario.

I have a woman who came into my shop tonight, not once but twice, is on Digital video picking up stuff and walking straight out the door.

The stock is plain to see in her arms but she tilted her body so it was on my blind side, but not the cameras !

How about a big photo saying something like....

Could this lady please speak to the owner about a little matter....

OR

This lady has forgotten to pay for shopping twice in one night, if anyone knows her could you mention this to her to pop back in.....

OR

This lady left twice without paying for groceries......

Gonna burn the video to disk tomorrow and print the face.

stovelid · 16-09-2009 11:18PM

P.C. wrote: »

You can put pics up of anyone you want, as long as you don't say why you have put the pics up.

Shit.

I thought they were personal ads and left a love letter behind the counter addressed to photo #13 (Cream Air-Max).

gerrycollins · 16-09-2009 11:18PM

i know a shop that had some serious issues with certain shoplifters about 3 or 4 so they "ran a competition" on saturday and they gave prizes to the 50th, 100th and 150th customer in the shop.

now it was clearly stated that the results would be made known on the following monday and lo and behold what 3 pics did they use but old stills of the suspects and the prize was €100 so it was very tempting.

all 3 were arrested upon their return for their money.

thomasj · 16-09-2009 11:22PM

In the spar in mulhuddart anyone caught shoplifting is barred from the post office next door. Serious !

orourkeda · 16-09-2009 11:24PM

jayteecork wrote: »

As you walk into my local Spar, there are pictures of persons leaving the premises, recorded on the store security cameras.

These are pictures of people of people Spar deemed to have been shoplifting and have posted their pictures in the hope of disgracing them i guess.

While I don't think this is a bad idea per se, I'm just wondering about the legaility of the whole idea.
I mean, what happened to being innocent until proven guilty?

It's pretty serious posting someone's picture on a shopfront claiming them to be a thief without the benefit of proof.

I've noticed this practice in a Spar in Cork city too.

I'd have thought that getting caught robbing on camera was proof enough.

Aidric · 16-09-2009 11:25PM

I'd have no objections once they catch my good side.

Namlub · 16-09-2009 11:27PM

jayteecork wrote: »

I've noticed this practice in a Spar in Cork city too.

The one on McCurtain street by any chance? That's the only place I've noticed it and it's grand I suppose. I'm not entirely sure what they hope to achieve by doing it, I'm sure a lot of shoplifters would be proud to have their picture up. And none of the photos seem to show the person in the act.

Spar putting pictures of "shoplifters" on the door.

Comments