Estonian shops plagued by groups of young serial thieves
Groups of school-aged youths in Estonia have increasingly been caught shoplifting and the reasons may include the influence of social media, boredom and conditions at home, security expert Juhan Aia told ERR.
"Shoplifting by groups of children used to occur once or twice a month in the stores we monitor. Now it happens once or twice a week," Aia, head of security services for Viking Security, said.
The young shoplifters are between 12 and 16 years old, but most are under 14, which places them below the age of criminal liability, Aia added.
"Criminal responsibility begins at age 14 and they feel they can act with impunity," Aia said.
"They take items from the shelves and even from the checkout area and simply walk past the register without paying. They put things in bags, pockets or sleeves and leave the store," Aia said, describing the groups' typical method of operation.
Cosmetics stand out among the most commonly stolen items.
"Some of them are influenced by social media," Aia said. "They do it to gain attention and notoriety. But it can also be something to fill the time — boredom. Social media promotes a certain standard of living. Some have said they do not want to go home and others cite insufficient pocket money."
According to Aia, parents are often unaware of what their children are doing. The children involved may also come from well-off and otherwise respectable families.
Aia said the overall number of shoplifting incidents in Estonia has stabilized, but the number of repeat offenders who resell stolen goods has increased.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
Source: ETV
