WAGGA retailers have resorted to speaking in codes to combat “rampant” shoplifting.
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Baby shop Cotmakers owner Kaylene Blackburn said “gangs of eight to ten” distract staff, opening a small window for the perpetrator to claim a five-fingered discount on valuable items like cots, prams and car seats.
Mrs Blackburn has installed six closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, but a dog-leg in the floor-plan obscures line of sight; a small chink in her defence cunning thieves exploit.
“Shoplifting is a huge problem for us. Most days we have to review CCTV footage because we suspect someone has stolen something,” Mrs Blackburn said.
“We have installed six cameras and have signs at eye-level warning criminals they will be prosecuted, but it doesn’t deter them.
“We have three staff and most days one of them is just for security purposes.
“It’s disgusting that we are forced to treat everyone who walks through our door as a potential criminal.”
Mrs Blackburn says a network of stores along Wagga’s shopping strip have formed an alliance to tip each other off to the presence of repeat offenders.
“We have a code we use in store and we have other stores’ numbers and they have ours, so we can call and use code to warn them to be alert,” she said.
Tobacconist Cignall owner Cherie Carroll is winning the battle against shoplifters by sharing CCTV of suspected thieves on Facebook, which she claimed was a powerful deterrent.
“Everybody in Wagga has a problem with shoplifters, who are very professional and will go to great lengths,” Ms Carroll said.
“One bloke recently put a pool cue down his tracksuit pants and walked out like he had a stiff leg.
“Others come in packs of two or three to distract you, they constantly touch and pretend to be looking at the stock and once one of them asks to be served, in the bag it goes.
“Putting CCTV videos on Facebook deters a lot of would-be shoplifters, because people we’ve long suspected of stealing haven’t come back since the vision went online.”
Milton's Gear menswear owner Wayne Inglis will install a new CCTV system in the coming days after 16 pairs of Canterbury tracksuit pants were snatched in one fell swoop.
“I had a zip-tie through the tracksuit pants attached to a rope tied to the floor, but he pulled hard enough to break the rope and escaped with all 16 pairs,” Mr Inglis said.
“I’ve replaced the rope with wire, so he’ll need to bring bolt cutters next time.”
Mr Inglis also called for harsher penalties for thieves.
He said the man who stole the 16 pairs of pants was convicted, but was “slapped on the wrist” with just a $200 fine.