Police inaction spurs store owner to shame shoplifters

File photo / Martin Sykes

A businessman frustrated after police failed to pick up a shoplifter he nabbed in his store has invested in a high-tech security system and is posting pictures of shoplifters in his window.

His tactic to shame thieves into paying up is paying dividends - four of the seven people featured in the window have coughed up the outstanding money.

Patrick Shepheard, owner of The House of Fun in the Strand, Whangarei, said he had lost thousands of dollars of stock to shoplifters over the years.

He claimed police were not coming when he reported the thieves.

"I held a shoplifter for an hour once and no one turned up," Mr Shepheard said.

"Another time, a worker was harassed and I rang the police. I had a video of it and took it to the police station but nothing has happened.

"We took matters into our own hands and decided to put pictures of the shoplifters up."

A security system was installed which included 12 cameras spaced around the shop leading to monitors.

The system allows for still photographs to be printed.

The first person caught on camera was a regular customer nabbed taking magazines.

"What amazes us is we have a sign up saying if you shoplift we will put pictures up and people still do it."

Harley-Davidson shirts and other clothing were popular with thieves - one woman walked out the front door with $120 worth of items.

Mr Shepheard said most of the seven people featured in the shop front were woman aged in their 40s. While the offenders had not come into the shop and paid, family members or friends had.

He said that despite the recession - when he would have expected shoplifting to increase - there had been no thefts in the past month.

Mr Shepheard said he thought it was because the photos deterred thieves.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE