Thefts infuriate IGA owners

Thousands of dollars worth of stock has been stolen from IGA supermarkets on both sides of Geraldton, according to store owners.

The brazen robberies — some done in front of staff — have left business operators seething.

They claim people are not stealing out of desperation.

The amount of goods being stolen has amazed store owners, who are looking at installing extra cameras to protect their premises.

Police have charged a 37-year-old Utakarra woman with stealing a shopping trolley loaded with groceries from the Wonthella Supa IGA on Sunday.

The woman, who police allege was in the company of another woman, was identified via CCTV footage. She will appear in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on July 30.

Tarcoola IGA store co-owner Sam Prunster says she is “over it”.

“These (shoplifters) are stealing from my store and that means stealing from my family, ” she said.

“We have our house tied up in this store, every little thing hurts.

“Every couple of days we have people shoplifting, probably every day, but I don’t have time to look through the cameras.

“For every item that’s stolen I have to sell five to cover the cost of the one item; it’s not fair. Also, the abuse staff get for simply asking to check someone’s bag is appalling.

“Once they have left the store I have no legal right to check their bags. We are only a small store; these people are very smart about it — one person will speak to and distract the manager, while another gets away with stealing.

“Police are doing their job, it’s the judicial system that’s letting the side down. And these people aren’t stealing out of desperation, because if they were they would be stealing food; instead, they are taking toiletries.

“I am so over it, they don’t see it as a person, they think we have plenty and won’t miss it.”

Glenfield IGA general manager Nathan Tomms said he wasn’t aware of the scale of daily shoplifting — but would be installing more cameras to combat it.

“After last Sunday’s issues, I realise a lot of these individuals are working either as a group or are well-known to each other, ” he said.

“On Sunday, my staff were threatened to be stabbed with a screwdriver while simply doing their job. This is not always the case; however, there is a risk when approaching any shoplifter.

“Shoplifting occurs on a daily basis by all walks of life, and with so many items within a supermarket that are easily concealable there is a lot of theft that goes unnoticed.

“Quite often, when shoplifters are caught, the person will try to deflect the blame and start yelling and screaming at you to try to intimidate you.

“Watching recent CCTV footage has made me realise there is more going on than I was aware of.

“Moving forward, the store will be installing another eight high-megapixel cameras.

“This will add to the 70 cameras already installed throughout the centre.

‘The store will also be undergoing staff training to ensure staff know what to look for.

“We are also investigating the possibility of having plain clothes security officers within the centre.

“Viewing of the footage will also be made easier with senior staff now able to monitor cameras on their smart phones from wherever they may be working.

“Even though the store lost over $1000 of stock last Sunday we will not be raising prices, but instead seeking retribution from those concerned.”

If you have any information in relation to any of these incidents, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.