We have all read the headlines, heard the news or lived the reality. Amateur and juvenile shoplifting is up due to the economy. Across the nation, police and prosecutors are cutting back their budgets for what are perceived as minor offenses – including shoplifting. As NASP learns about the different communities pulling back from handling or prosecuting shoplifters due to budget cuts, we are, of course, contacting local law enforcement and prosecutors about alternative strategies to maintain offender accountability, competency development and community safety during this difficult time.
However, this still leaves retailers with quite a dilemma. Since the retailer’s apprehension will now often be the only touch point for a shoplifting offender, it is apparent that going forward, retailers will not only have to work to reduce the opportunities for shoplifting to occur but will also need to take their own substantive action when it does occur.
When considering how to take substantive action at apprehension, it is important to recognize that while the current economic downturn is spurring the number of shoplifting offenders to grow, the shoplifting problem itself is not becoming more complex. NASP research findings regarding the motivations, reasons and justifications of non-professional consumer shoplifters (18,000+ offenders annually) continue to remain constant. They are the same today as they were 25 years ago from a psychological and emotional point of view – why they do it, how they feel about it, the myths they believe, how they rationalize it and even their fear of getting caught.
This is good news. Why? Because it means the offender training and education that have proven to be so successful in reducing individual future offenses will continue to be effective. The challenge is simply how to deliver the effective education to the growing number of offenders without overburdening, financially or otherwise, law enforcement, prosecutors, retailers and court systems; who are themselves affected by a reduction in their resources due to the economy.
Now more than ever, the LP community needs to embrace non-traditional approaches to apprehension and prosecution and be more progressive in adopting policies and practices that do not rely solely on law enforcement and prosecutors to provide substantive action at apprehension. This is particularly true for those currently relying on a “100% prosecution policy” to curb the offender’s next offense.
Therefore, in an effort to help retailers bridge the gaps created by the new economy and changing policies, NASP has a plan to help RILA members ensure substantive action at apprehension regardless of police or prosecutor involvement. NASP will provide the tools to help any member - by region, district or store - to supplement their existing LP programs and policies by making available the same offender-paid education programs that police and courts currently utilize. Programs that successfully hold offenders accountable while building competency to reduce repeat offenses, especially in the case of juvenile offenders.
Utilizing these programs is as simple as giving an information pamphlet to offenders or parents of juvenile offenders at apprehension - regardless of their eligibility for prosecution. Just as it does for the courts, NASP will administer the offender-paid program directly to each shoplifter and provide feedback to the retailer on their offenders' profiles and program results - all at no cost to the retailer.