Two Leading Prevention Groups Call for Action on Shoplifters

15 July 2006

Recent media coverage, highlighting Wal-Mart and other retailers' move away from the apprehension and prosecution of petty shoplifters, has two leading prevention groups calling for community action on shoplifting. The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), best known for McGruff the Crime Dog(r), and the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) have joined forces to educate the public about the harmful effects of shoplifting on youth, families and communities and to offer community prevention alternatives to combat the shoplifting epidemic.

"While we understand the dilemma that retailers face when dealing with the retail theft epidemic and the burden it places on them, law enforcement and the courts, we must be careful not to open a Pandora's Box with policies and actions that appear to give tacit approval to petty theft, particularly to juveniles," said Caroline Kochman, Executive Director of NASP.

Shoplifting is one of the most prevalent and costly crimes in our nation. There are about 550,000 petty shoplifting incidents per day resulting in more than $10 billion worth of goods stolen from retailers annually. One in four youth admit to having shoplifted by the tine they are 12 to 16 years of age and fifty percent fewer children than in years past are receiving guidance from their parents as to why shoplifting is wrong.

NCPC and NASP will bring together key community stakeholders -- - parents, schools, retailers, police, and criminal justice organizations - -- to reverse the perception that shoplifting is "no big deal" or a "victimless" crime.

"Shoplifting is a crime that steals from all of us," said Alfonso E. Lenhardt, NCPC President and CEO. "Working together with NASP, we can educate parents, the community, and young people to ensure that all community residents have the moral compass to refrain from shoplifting. Crime prevention works best when the entire community is involved."

NASP and NCPC offer the retail community in particular a unique opportunity to be proactive community partners and do something positive with youthful offenders. By directing juveniles to complete a NASP shoplifting prevention program, retailers can effectively change the course of the youth's destructive behavior. Retailers do not necessarily have to prosecute every offender but they can help prevent one shoplifting incident as a teen from becoming a gateway to further offenses and criminal acts because they "got away with it."

Frank Abagnale, best-selling author and subject of "Catch Me if You Can" and an advocate of NASP prevention programs, says "I believe that punishment for fraud and recovery of stolen funds are so rare, that prevention is the only viable course of action. The same is true for shoplifting and retail theft, especially among youth. The precarious condition of character in our nation's youth coupled with the low priority put on dealing with shoplifting cases means that shoplifting and retail theft losses will continue to rise, as will corporate fraud and dishonesty, until we amend the thinking of our youth."

For more information, please visit the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) at http://www.shopliftingprevention.org or the National Crime Prevention Council at http://www.ncpc.org.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Source: usnewswire

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