“Beware, Big Brother is watching. We have cameras all over.” That's the warning from Johan Pienaar, Grahamstown branch Pick n Pay manager, who is fed up after a recent spate of shoplifting forced the store to step up their security.
“Beware, Big Brother is watching. We have cameras all over.” That's the warning from Johan Pienaar, Grahamstown branch Pick n Pay manager, who is fed up after a recent spate of shoplifting forced the store to step up their security.
And a security expert has warned the school children and students involved that they are jeopardising their futures. Hi-Tech guard manager, Gavin Stobbs, said nine cases of shoplifting had been reported since the beginning of the year.
"On average, we receive two cases a week," Stobbs said. "This means businesses have to spend lots more money on security and this, in turn, has an effect on food prices."
Stobbs said while a wide spectrum of people committed this crime, the majority were Rhodes students. "The worst thing is that even school kids have gotten into this habit," said Pienaar. Stobbs said a shoplifting conviction could have devastating consequences for a young person.
"First, people have the impression that you can steal and pay in court," Stobbs said. "The truth of the matter is, if you steal, you get arrested immediately and your future is a mess. I don't understand how students and pupils would stuff up their whole lives for a drink, a packet of chips, or even a pie.
"There are businesses in town that have state-of-the-art cameras between aisles. Plus we are able to zoom in and out on people and catch them in the act," he said.
The Shoprite Group said it employed independent security companies at a cost of millions of rand per year to protect customers, its premises, and stock. It also had more than 5 500 cameras in its supermarkets across the country and was in the process of expanding on this number.
Shoprite Group said that through state-of-the-art security and surveillance systems, the arrest rate for shoplifting was high. A spokesperson for the group said Shoprite's rate of shrinkage was well below the international industry norm of 2.5%.
Pick n Pay's Pienaar said, "If you get away the first time, consider yourself lucky, because I guarantee you won't be so lucky the next time."
