Fayetteville, NC has seen a significant increase in shoplifting incidents over last year, according to local police and the Fayetteville Observer.
According to data provided by police, there was a 46 percent increase in shoplifting at the city’s three Wal-Mart stores and a 74 percent increase at Cross Creek Mall. The data represent the number of shoplifting incidents reported Jan. 1 to Aug. 20 compared with the same period in 2007.
That is a huge jump. What is not clear from this story is the number of shoplifting incidents reported. For example, does that 46% represent 146 cases versus 100 last year? or does it represent something more like 4 more cases than last year? It must be pretty significant, though, because police case clearance rates on shoplifting incidents has slipped from 96% in 2007 to 85% this year. This is still not bad at all, but it does seem to indicate that the workload has increased significantly.
At any rate, Fayetteville is not alone, it would seem. Everyday I read more stories about increasing shoplifting incidents reported. This so-called “victimless” crime is clogging up the courts, and costing retailers, and their customers, literally billions. And it’s getting worse…
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