Recession blamed for shoplifting rise

Nick Steel, the managing director of Marks & Spencer in Jersey, alongside a security sign.

A RISE in shoplifting over the past year has forced stores to clamp down on security.
Marks & Spencer, Safeway and Checkers bosses have warned that they will take a tough stance against anyone caught shoplifting.
M&S has employed a plain-clothed store detective in the King Street store and put up signs advising thieves to think twice before stealing.
Sandpiper, the company that owns the M&S franchise in Jersey along with Safeway and Checkers, has spent £180,000 on closed-circuit television surveillance across all its stores.
The group’s operations manager, Mark Cox, said that although he could not reveal the precise level of thefts, there had been a noticeable increase across all stores.
Unemployment
‘Recession has a role to play as cash becomes harder to find and unemployment rises,’ he explained. ‘We will be taking a tough stance against people caught shoplifting from us.’ (from JEP)