Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

[mkfella]

To get rid of the difficult part - I left a service station without paying for a newspaper. Really no excuse other than a lapse in judgement.

I was stopped ouside by a "loss control officer" who rightly identified me as a newspaper thief and (wrongly) a coca-cola thief. He invited me to his office, said I was caught on CTV and asked me to empty my pockets. No coa-cola, which seemed to surprise him. He said I could play straight with him, or he'd call the police to take over. I identified myself to his satisfaction, he said I'd be contacted by a loss recovery company within 48 hours, he gave me the company's hand out and sent me on my way. I wasn't asked to sign anything.

Middle-aged and middle-class (though facing redundancy) AND a virgin poster, I'm not going to attract much sympathy for greed and stupidity. But has anyone advice on how to deal with the recovery company? Pay up and hope credit rating and police record isn't impacted.

Could they still get the police involved? I'm still dreading a knock on the door ..

[WendyB]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

I think there are a couple of threads on here, try searching retail loss prevention, I'll have a look see if I can find them.

[WendyB]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

Have a look at these, not something I know much about but the threads might help please help - accused of shoplifting from asda - Legal Beagles Consumer Forum

Retail Loss Prevention... Again - Legal Beagles Consumer Forum

[QCKate]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

To get rid of the difficult part - I left a service station without paying for a newspaper. Really no excuse other than a lapse in judgement.

I was stopped ouside by a "loss control officer" who rightly identified me as a newspaper thief and (wrongly) a coca-cola thief. He invited me to his office, said I was caught on CTV and asked me to empty my pockets. No coa-cola, which seemed to surprise him. He said I could play straight with him, or he'd call the police to take over. I identified myself to his satisfaction, he said I'd be contacted by a loss recovery company within 48 hours, he gave me the company's hand out and sent me on my way. I wasn't asked to sign anything.

Middle-aged and middle-class (though facing redundancy) AND a virgin poster, I'm not going to attract much sympathy for greed and stupidity. But has anyone advice on how to deal with the recovery company? Pay up and hope credit rating and police record isn't impacted.

Could they still get the police involved? I'm still dreading a knock on the door ..

It probably doesn't help, but good on you for admitting what's happened. None of us is perfect and I hope your circumstances and quick remorse leads to a positive outcome.

QCK

[leclerc]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

To get rid of the difficult part - I left a service station without paying for a newspaper. Really no excuse other than a lapse in judgement.

I was stopped ouside by a "loss control officer" who rightly identified me as a newspaper thief and (wrongly) a coca-cola thief. He invited me to his office, said I was caught on CTV and asked me to empty my pockets. No coa-cola, which seemed to surprise him. He said I could play straight with him, or he'd call the police to take over. I identified myself to his satisfaction, he said I'd be contacted by a loss recovery company within 48 hours, he gave me the company's hand out and sent me on my way. I wasn't asked to sign anything.

Middle-aged and middle-class (though facing redundancy) AND a virgin poster, I'm not going to attract much sympathy for greed and stupidity. But has anyone advice on how to deal with the recovery company? Pay up and hope credit rating and police record isn't impacted.

Could they still get the police involved? I'm still dreading a knock on the door ..

If you receive anything from RLP then you ignore it. If the shop chose not to call the police over a 50p newspaper then so be it. The police needed to have been involved immediately. It is unlikely that they will be involved now. The shop is unlikely to take civil action because the cost involved in recovering a newspaper would be hardly worth the time and energy. I would, however, not use that shop again and they have probably banned you.

[teaboy2]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

I agree with leclerc.

Ignore any letters from RLP or similar companies as such amount they will demand from you will not be legally enforceable anyway as a court would only award them damages for actual costs they incurred as a result of any theft committed and as the police were not involved then taking you to court accusing you of being a theft when you have no conviction of such would be a no go anyway, especially when they would have to prove you took the paper with intent and not simply forgot to pay for it. Now the company will claim the cost of time staff took to deal with the case and paper work as well as the cost of the items stolen in an attempt to validate the amount they will demand from you. Now the cost of the staff is irelevant as the staff would have still been paid the same amount for that days work even if the theft had not been committed, the cost of the product is irelevant too as they got the product back, so have incurred no loss there either. So really they only cost to them is the price of paper, ink, and stamps used by the loss prevention officer and the RLP which is probably £2-£5 at most, which is significantly lower than the amount of £150 approx that they will likely demand from you.

Also along with ignoring them, keep an eye on your credit file, because if they do put anything on your file, then as this is not a DEBT anything they put on your credit file would therefore be inaccurate and libellous.

[labman]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

I'd just like to reiterate what QC Kate said as well. Admitting what you did, even on a site like this, takes courage and wins my admiration.

The site is here to help, not to judge so well done for doing something which must have been very hard. I'm delighted to see you getting the help you deserve.

[MJST]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

Hi, new to this site and just browsing my way through the day. My following comments are based on a past life as a Loss Prevention Officer (ie, security guard) of many years. It may be outdated but as far as I'm aware there's not really been too many changes to the Civil Recovery Scheme:
it would appear from your description of the event that the 'guard in question hasn't followed correct protocol: You don't mention being cautioned, "You are under arrest, you do not need to say anything...." which is what he should have said either at the time of escorting you into the office or before he issued the paperwork. You should also be asked to sign the paperwork you've had read out to you, if you refuse the guard should then write on the paperwork the time and date that you refused to sign. I've given quite a lot of the Civil Recovery forms to shoplifters in my time, and you have to read out a fair amount of legal spiel to the person you're serving it upon. Personally I didn't give anyone Civil Recovery without involving the police, as a statement attached to the paperwork on an MG11 (police witness statement) holds far more weight than just writing one on some lined paper. And the police who I worked with over the years would have given me a proverbial slap around the back of the head for calling them over a 50p newspaper anyway.
As an aside, I'm completely non-jugdemental re shoplifters or trouble-causers in the stores I worked in, after all, they kept me in a job for nearly a decade So I got to know quite a few of the regulars who I and others of my profession regularly detained and sent along to the police station (to be released that afternoon and continue as normal, and so on and so on); I once asked a regular what happens with Civil Recovery, he said that they get a fine, don't pay it (obviously, otherwise they wouldn't be stealing), go to court, and the Judge (who they're probably on first name terms by this point) 'writes off the debt'. How true this is I can't say, but the regular I was speaking to didn't really need to lie given his circumstances.
Hope my ramblings help you some.

[righty]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

Hi, new to this site and just browsing my way through the day. My following comments are based on a past life as a Loss Prevention Officer (ie, security guard) of many years. It may be outdated but as far as I'm aware there's not really been too many changes to the Civil Recovery Scheme:
it would appear from your description of the event that the 'guard in question hasn't followed correct protocol: You don't mention being cautioned, "You are under arrest, you do not need to say anything...." which is what he should have said either at the time of escorting you into the office or before he issued the paperwork. You should also be asked to sign the paperwork you've had read out to you, if you refuse the guard should then write on the paperwork the time and date that you refused to sign. I've given quite a lot of the Civil Recovery forms to shoplifters in my time, and you have to read out a fair amount of legal spiel to the person you're serving it upon. Personally I didn't give anyone Civil Recovery without involving the police, as a statement attached to the paperwork on an MG11 (police witness statement) holds far more weight than just writing one on some lined paper. And the police who I worked with over the years would have given me a proverbial slap around the back of the head for calling them over a 50p newspaper anyway.
As an aside, I'm completely non-jugdemental re shoplifters or trouble-causers in the stores I worked in, after all, they kept me in a job for nearly a decade So I got to know quite a few of the regulars who I and others of my profession regularly detained and sent along to the police station (to be released that afternoon and continue as normal, and so on and so on); I once asked a regular what happens with Civil Recovery, he said that they get a fine, don't pay it (obviously, otherwise they wouldn't be stealing), go to court, and the Judge (who they're probably on first name terms by this point) 'writes off the debt'. How true this is I can't say, but the regular I was speaking to didn't really need to lie given his circumstances.
Hope my ramblings help you some.

Sorry mate but he WAS lying. Suggest you read CAB's report on civil (uncivil) recovery

[MJST]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

Thanks for the report info, righty, very interesting read.

The report appears to support the view of that shoplifter I quoted:

"...But in the great majority of these reported cases, the ‘claim’ was eventually dropped (or, at least, no further letters were received from Retail Loss Prevention) after being challenged robustly by the CAB and/or the client, or after simply being ignored. Indeed, Citizens Advice has yet to receive a single report from a CAB of a low-value ‘claim’ from Retail Loss Prevention proceeding as far as county court proceedings, let alone a county court judgment in favour of the retailer concerned..."

So my regular appears to be one of the very few who's tried running off with goods worth enough to give him a court date if he ended up in front of a judge.
But then taking into consideration this quote:

"...In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, it seems reasonable to conclude that

the number of cases successfully litigated by Retail Loss Prevention (or its client retailers) at contested trials in the county courts is, at most, extremely small..."

He's not one of RLP's success stories :tinysmile_grin_t:

If anything, that report shows what a failure Civil Recovery is when it comes to chasing people like those who plague the city centres the UK over.
However, as is usual in this day and age, it's mostly effective aginst those soft 'opportunists' who get caught and happen to have a job and/or parents/family who'll cough up the money for them out of embaressment/fear.
I'm rather glad I reserved that paperwork only for those offenders who were obstreperousafter being caught!

[CleverClogs]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

However, as is usual in this day and age, it's mostly effective aginst those soft 'opportunists' who get caught and happen to have a job and/or parents/family who'll cough up the money for them out of embaressment/fear.

How do you like having assisted in what might otherwise be considered to be blackmail? :behindsofa:

[righty]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

How do you like having assisted in what might otherwise be considered to be blackmail? :behindsofa:

Quite:okay:

[righty]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

To get rid of the difficult part - I left a service station without paying for a newspaper. Really no excuse other than a lapse in judgement.

I was stopped ouside by a "loss control officer" who rightly identified me as a newspaper thief and (wrongly) a coca-cola thief. He invited me to his office, said I was caught on CTV and asked me to empty my pockets. No coa-cola, which seemed to surprise him. He said I could play straight with him, or he'd call the police to take over. I identified myself to his satisfaction, he said I'd be contacted by a loss recovery company within 48 hours, he gave me the company's hand out and sent me on my way. I wasn't asked to sign anything.

Middle-aged and middle-class (though facing redundancy) AND a virgin poster, I'm not going to attract much sympathy for greed and stupidity. But has anyone advice on how to deal with the recovery company? Pay up and hope credit rating and police record isn't impacted.

Could they still get the police involved? I'm still dreading a knock on the door ..

I can't emphasize this enough DO NOT IGNORE any correspondence from the Recovery Company At the very least DEMAND to know what they claim you did to justify their demand

May I also point out that I too have inadvertently driven off without paying only to realise it a couple of miles later. I then returned apologised & paid for the fuel (£70) So it can happen to anyone including an expert in civil recovery

qtl { position: absolute; border: 1px solid #cccccc; -moz-border-radius: 5px; opacity: 0.2; line-height: 100%; z-index: 999; direction: ltr; } qtl:hover,qtl.open { opacity: 1; } qtl,qtlbar { height: 22px; } qtlbar { display: block; width: 100%; background-color: #cccccc; cursor: move; } qtlbar img { border: 0; padding: 3px; height: 16px; width: 16px; cursor: pointer; } qtlbar img:hover { background-color: #aaaaff; } qtl>iframe { border: 0; height: 0; width: 0; } qtl.open { height: auto; } qtl.open>iframe { height: 200px; width: 300px; }

[MJST]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

Apologies for late reply, Christmas period and all that. Happy New Year everyone.

@ Clever clogs and Righty:

Regarding the quote you’ve used: Apologies for not clarifying my comments.
The quote you've taken was my cynical observation of what apparently happens in general in the industry.
Now, to answer your question "How do you like having assisted in what might otherwise be considered to be blackmail?"
I haven’t a clue what a ‘smiley man hiding behind a sofa means’, but I assume you mean no offence and are genuinely interested in my reply, and/or eagerly anticipating a fiery response of some kind!

Firstly, to put you in the picture, this answer applies to suspects who I proved mens rea and acteus rea in my observations, CCTV footage and subsequent MG11.
If I thought somebody made a genuine mistake – like righty did – we’d laugh about it and there’d be nothing further to discuss.
So with that in mind, here’s my answer:
I only handed out Civil Recovery to a suspect who saw no need to feel guilty about their crime, often reinforcing this attitude through verbal and/or physical abuse aimed at myself and colleagues, possibly a bit of store furniture too. And usually blaming everyone other than themselves for their actions.
So do I feel guilty after having dealt with a person like that? Not one bit.

As an aside, and if you get this far, do follow the advice of righty :tinysmile_grin_t:

[CleverClogs]

Re: Caught shoplifting - panic sets in

Then I am delighted that they were able to give your ego the boost it plainly needed.

It's a pity that Germany lost the war. You'd have liked their uniforms.

For the avoidance of any doubt: I have never stolen anything in my life and, indeed, have helped to prevent a customer at B&Q from neglecting to pay for several cans of paint that the check-out assistant did not see. However, I do regard this "Retail Loss Prevention" as a scam akin to blackmail and I have no sympathy whatever to anyone involved with it.