Thieves stealing from charities

IT'S CURTAINS FOR CRIME: The Salvation Army's Family Store manager Heidi Parkes says customers have been 'brilliant' accepting the removal of the curtains from the store's changing rooms. Sheets have been held up for privacy, and there has been 'much hilarity', she says. The curtains were removed after the op shop got 'slammed' by shoplifters. 'I do not have the staff to stand around and watch for shoplifters. Our volunteers are volunteers not security.' Picture by Paul Rickard

The removal of curtains from changing rooms at a second-hand store in town has revealed a problem across all the op shops.

Shoplifting is rife and was being done behind cover at Salvation Army's The Family Store in Gladstone Road.

Manager Heidi Parkes said the store had made the decision to take down the curtains after getting “slammed” by shoplifters on the first Monday of the last school holidays.

In one instance a person stole $143 worth of clothing.

“That $143 is food for a whole family for an entire week and we lost that in 40 minutes.

“There are CCTV images that we have which show it very clearly. We spoke to the police and (the person) was trespassed in 24 hours.”

Proceeds from The Family Store go to the Salvation Army. The other op shops in town support the Red Cross, Hospice, SPCA and Habitat for Humanity.

Hospice Tairawhiti general manager Barbara Grout said it was very sad when people felt the need to steal from charity shops.

“Items are donated by the public, prepared for sale by volunteers, and for them to then be stolen is incredibly disappointing.

“They are taking from a service they, or their family, may need sometime.”

The Hospice Shop in Peel Street also has a camera installed but more for the safety of their staff, said Mrs Grout.

“Our process if we witness shoplifting is to contact City Watch. We certainly don't want people to think they can just walk in and help themselves. They will be noticed.”

Mrs Grout said while shoplifting certainly happened, they tried not to focus on that.

“We want our volunteers to focus on great customer service, rather than looking for shoplifters.”

Red Cross op shop coordinator Julie-ann Ebdale said the worst theft they had was when someone walked into the back room of their shop, took a volunteer's eftpos card then went on a spending spree using PayWave. They clocked up a “considerable sum”.

“As a coordinator I found that pretty sad someone would do that to a volunteer.

“We just have to be aware of who is coming into the shop.”

The Red Cross store was smaller than the others, which helped. It also had the advantage of being beside the community police base on Bright Street. It was a comfort knowing they were there if needed, said Ms Ebdale.

“Sometimes they work in teams. We believe the one who pinched the card was working in a team.

“It's not just op shops, it's everywhere in Gisborne.”

Habitat for Humanity ReStore manager Liz Cutts said their volunteer staff remained vigilant in store.

“I wouldn't say shoplifting this month is worse but as a year on a whole it has not been fantastic.”

Gisborne Police Tairawhiti prevention manager Inspector Lincoln Sycamore said shoplifting did increase in the lead-up to Christmas and was more common over weekends.

Well-trained and motivated staff were the most effective deterrent.

“Greet each customer and give them prompt attention when they enter your store. If you can't serve them immediately, acknowledge them by making eye contact.

“Trust your instincts. Don't stereotype — anyone can steal and anything can be stolen.”

Insp Sycamore said many shops now had good quality CCTV that provided quick and clear images of shoplifters, which helped police identify people quickly.

“Many retailers also take advantage of trespass notices that prevent repeat shoplifters from coming back into a shop. If a thief breaches a trespass order, they can be arrested immediately.

“These are an effective tool retailers can use to deter thieves. We encourage any retailer to consider using them.

“If you have any incidents of crime in or around your shop, report it to the police.”