Forget calling the police first. Some shop owners have found a faster, scarier way to deal with shoplifters: posting their crimes straight to social media. Erdogan Yigitoglu has run a Bournemouth convenience store for 19 years, and his security cameras have become his main line of defence.
As reported by the BBC, his footage has captured everything from a £120 barbecue disappearing in the blink of an eye to a masked child dashing off with an armful of fruit. He says shoplifting drains thousands of pounds from his business every year, and naming offenders online has become his go-to response.
Does public shaming actually work?
By his estimate, 40 to 50% of the people caught on camera eventually come back to settle up, while many others simply stay away from his shop for good.
He says he only uploads footage when the theft is undeniable, and he’ll take a video down if the person seems truly sorry and has a decent explanation. His warning to would-be thieves is blunt: “We’re always watching, recording and we’re always sharing.”
Can a viral post catch a criminal faster than the police?
Gareth Kimbrey, who owns Setley Ridge Farm Shop in Hampshire, turned to the same tactic after his store lost around £400 worth of steak in April. Security footage caught the pair stacking their arms with stolen steak before jumping into a waiting car outside, and once Kimbrey posted it, residents helped identify them. Two women are now due in court over the theft.
Kimbrey stands by the decision, telling the BBC, “If it gets people caught, then it’s a really good thing to do.” The approach fills a real gap. Only one in five shoplifting cases led to a charge or summons last year, and the British Retail Consortium says the crime is still widely under-reported.
Dorset Police says it has since made reporting easier, and the government has called shoplifting a crime that has gone unchecked for too long, with measures like banning orders and treatment programmes for repeat offenders reportedly under consideration.
