Shoplifting

[XR6T0Y]

So I just want to see peoples opinions on this.

At the moment, i'm only a casual at Woolies. However, I am getting plenty of hours which sees me in the place generally 6 days a week at varying times. Doing this, you get to know faces. Directly opposite, is a new skatepark that 'brilliant and smart' council put in to "Get the kids to do something productive"
Obviously with this, has come nothing but trouble. We have Aldi at the opposite side of the street (which has now had to change its trading hours to due customers being afraid to walk to their cars because the kids throw stuff at them) and Coles about a 3 minute walk. All 3 shops are suffering the same problem.
These kids come in, sus out who is in there, and will often nick 1-3 cans of energy drink (good thing to ruin your life on)

Now these kids have been banned from all 3 shops, now have a record and are being threatened with Juvi.
Tonight was no exception.
So this got me thinking, if i'm only 19 and thinking how pathetic society is going, what do other people think?
My parents have always said "if you do anything against the law, we will be the first to report you" Which is completly understandable.

I would be the first to say lock them up, but society doesn't want that.
What's peoples thoughts on this matter?

If it was something of importance, would you change your attitude on it? Example: A loaf of bread to feed your family, tablets to cure someone?

[FGII-XR6]

I know what you mean about the rutho skate park, to make it worse it is directly oposite "criminal crescent" . It's funny how we look at the world and say things are getting worse, every generation says the same but in reality every generation had scumbags.
You are proof that the majority of youth are honest & hard working ( so we don't hear about you) all the media want to report ais the negative side of things and with modern communications bad news travels fast

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

I know what you mean about the rutho skate park, to make it worse it is directly oposite "criminal crescent" . It's funny how we look at the world and say things are getting worse, every generation says the same but in reality every generation had scumbags.
You are proof that the majority of youth are honest & hard working ( so we don't hear about you) all the media want to report ais the negative side of things and with modern communications bad news travels fast

I don't take my Falcon to work anymore, 'cause I was getting sick of the little ***** being jealous about it. The amount of times I would come out and have P plates missing, deflated tyres, bubblegum all over the windscreen. So I said enough was enough.
Completly agree with your statement of every generation has its bad. My brother is in his mid 20's, and someone he used to go to school with killed someone.
That aside, the logical thing to do would be to take the skatepark out, however, with the amount of money invested in it that won't happen

[tyler06]

Id say there is a difference between aloaf of bread to feed your starving family and lets nick some drinks and pass them around..
That said i dont condone either reason.

[FGII-XR6]

the main problem is the location of the park, over the rd from criminal crescent it was always going to attract the worst of the worst.

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

the main problem is the location of the park, over the rd from criminal crescent it was always going to attract the worst of the worst.

Same thing as when they set fire to the barracks at the Reserve base there

[Yellow_Festiva]

I don't condone any sort of shop lifting. Problem is, when caught we are too easy on most offenders.

I saw my fair share of shop lifters during my first 10 years of working in retail. All walks of life really. Caught young kids with nothing better to do and caught people who were well and truly in retirement. Chased down a guy in the CBD once who I caught with his hand in the till as well... wasn't my place of work, but I caught him out of the corner of my eye.

Perhaps people caught will need to pay 10x the value back and have a record for 5 years? If caught again in that 5 years it doubles etc.... 3rd time you do time / community service or something???

Who knows...... after seeing the crap that people are getting away with I would hate to be in the face to face sales business...

[FGII-XR6]

most of the problem is the department of housing they set up these areas and fill them with scum when they are all together they run wild. I'm not agains public housing but it should be scattered through the community to avoid these crime areas.
when I was driving cabs even the residents of the area called it criminal creescent ( like a badge of honour) so what hope is there for them

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

most of the problem is the department of housing they set up these areas and fill them with scum when they are all together they run wild. I'm not agains public housing but it should be scattered through the community to avoid these crime areas.
when I was driving cabs even the residents of the area called it criminal creescent ( like a badge of honour) so what hope is there for them

If they wanted to put this skatepark in, they should have done it away from a vastly populated are and not adjacent to a HIGHWAY!
Where Makechies(spelling?) Run is now, when it wasn't there, they should have put it in there.

And some of the dodgy stuff I see when i'm on break and wander out back. Someone got held at knifepoint last Sunday
I left 20 minutes after it happened, unaware it had occured

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

I don't condone any sort of shop lifting. Problem is, when caught we are too easy on most offenders.

I saw my fair share of shop lifters during my first 10 years of working in retail. All walks of life really. Caught young kids with nothing better to do and caught people who were well and truly in retirement. Chased down a guy in the CBD once who I caught with his hand in the till as well... wasn't my place of work, but I caught him out of the corner of my eye.

Perhaps people caught will need to pay 10x the value back and have a record for 5 years? If caught again in that 5 years it doubles etc.... 3rd time you do time / community service or something???

Who knows...... after seeing the crap that people are getting away with I would hate to be in the face to face sales business...

This is spot on. I've seen people that look really dodgy, but are the nicest, most hinest people you will meet. Some come from this area myself and AU3XR6 are talking about and know the bad ones. So when they see them in the shop, they come and tell us and we keep our eyes on them. About 95% of the time we get them trying to take stuff.
And then we get the opposite. A fair few 'mothers' come through and stash things in the prams.

[Nova 8]

I've never shop lifted I don't find it acceptable for others to do it. I have a kid in my local area who walks around with a lawn mower going door to door to make some cash. I pay him $20 to mow 16m2 lawn out the front even though he offered to do it for $10 jsut cause im impressed with him. Personally i think smacking children helps - I was alway told by my father that if I broke the law that I'd better hope the cops got to me before him.
Also as stated above, in general the current generation is usually better then the previous and its media that causes people to think otherwise. Children take on more responsibilty earlier in life now, get jobs and pick life directions younger. All in all i think kids now days are pretty good, its only takes a few to tarnish the rest.

[Werd.]

Meh, the ferals that do crap like this will get whats coming to them soon enough anyway.. An unfulfilling life, an unfulfilling wife and 10 horrible kids.

Let them be cool for now. Luckily they are a minority.

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by Werd.

Meh, the ferals that do crap like this will get whats coming to them soon enough anyway.. An unfulfilling life, an unfulfilling wife and 10 horrible kids.

Let them be cool for now. Luckily they are a minority.

Problem is, they are a minority for how long?
They are hardly ever at school. Seen them out back at 1am on a Monday morning (I don't go to school anymore) and during school hours with no uniforms etc.... We know where they go anyway

Originally Posted by Nova 8

I've never shop lifted I don't find it acceptable for others to do it. I have a kid in my local area who walks around with a lawn mower going door to door to make some cash. I pay him $20 to mow 16m2 lawn out the front even though he offered to do it for $10 jsut cause im impressed with him. Personally i think smacking children helps - I was alway told by my father that if I broke the law that I'd better hope the cops got to me before him.
Also as stated above, in general the current generation is usually better then the previous and its media that causes people to think otherwise. Children take on more responsibilty earlier in life now, get jobs and pick life directions younger. All in all i think kids now days are pretty good, its only takes a few to tarnish the rest.

My parents were the first to tell me that if they caught me doing anything like this, they would be the first to report it and get me sent away. Wasn't a scare tactic to me, just common sense.
Everyone I went to school with is either now at Uni, or a last year apprentice. Even the ratbags have a well paying job

[Nova 8]

Originally Posted by XR6T0Y

Problem is, they are a minority for how long?

They will always be the minority, the human condition is to want more.

Originally Posted by XR6T0Y

They are hardly ever at school....
Everyone I went to school with is....

The ones that didn't go to school probably dont have jobs and are sitting at home waiting for thier next baby bonus so they can get a new tv.

There are really only two choices with kids that are like these, reach out and try to help them out (doesnt usually work, parents are the problem) or just continue doing as you are and watch them with a close eye.

[glavas]

In the old days they would send crims to sydney. Maybe we should send them to a poor war torn african countey at there parents expence. And yes im serious and yes i vote national.

[lilmattie]

IMO - and no offence to the decent young people out there.

My observation is that each generation of teenagers is getting worse. I'm still under 30, so I like to think of myself as still fairly young, but I see a lack of moral values, a lack of personal respect towards other people and their property and a lack of discipline ever-all. They just don't care about anything except themselves.

Personally, (extremely generally speaking) I think the post war generations in Aus have been too good to their kids and haven't taught them those charactistics. All the mummies and daddies are giving everything their little darling ever wants to them (or the complete reverse and not catering enough for their needs) and few of them have to work for what they get. Oh and the whole "don't you dare smack your child or it will irrevocably damage their fragile little persona and permanently scar them for life". Not to get into a debate here, but there is a world of different between hitting/beating a child and punishing them. A bit of loving discipline from a parent in the appropriate situation is beneficial for the child IMO. Kids need to be taught cause and consequence, and also what is right and wrong.

They don't get that today from what I can see.

[XR6TCraig]

In the old days, it was the norm for parents to hand out corporal punishment ( by form of a smack) to keep there kids in line and teach them that there are consequences for their poor behaviour without being frowned at, or worse, theatened by the law!

Failing that as these kids got older, if laws were broken or delinquent behaviour was to become the norm, the coppers would have just give them a touch up or a kick in the ****, which would have brought them into line 9 times out of 10. That is now no longer the case.

Thats the difference between the scumbags around today, verses the scumbags of previous generations. Todays scumbags are scared of nothing and no one and dont appreciate that there are consequences for their actions because we have taught them as a society that there aren't any. The legal system is very soft on them and they know it!

20 years ago these 'kids' would have had some fear and respect for authority and the law after having been dealt some tough justice your old man or the local sargeant and a couple of handy constables!

[zdcol71]

Originally Posted by glavas

In the old days they would send crims to sydney. Maybe we should send them to a poor war torn african countey at there parents expence. And yes im serious and yes i vote national.

wtf??!!

[xisled]

IMO kids today are very similar to kids of past generations. It is just everyone who judges kids of the current generation are grown up now and tend to forget what being young is like.

[mik]

Originally Posted by xisled

IMO kids today are very similar to kids of past generations. It is just everyone who judges kids of the current generation are grown up now and tend to forget what being young is like.

sorry mate , i think your wrong, having grown up on the rough side of the street there where some rules you did`nt break, if you did you new you would get a foot up the klaka or the strap from your old man or worse, or from the old lady !,
the same went for teachers too, ruler across the knuckles, across the backside, six of the best, thick ear, etc, the cane in the earlier days(i never got that one) !,
and as CraiginMackay mentioned the coppers did`nt mind roughing you up for a bit for an attitude adjustment.,
manners where stricter, you did`nt swear in front of ladys,
a lot of kids are spoilt and grow up with bugger all discipline, walk down the street these days quiet a few little little smart asses, f this f that, they don`t care, yelling into a mobile phone in close proximity to others, you even see the same attitude translated into road behavior, more younger people are rude and obnoxious these days, not saying they all are,
but as a general rule you won`t find that with the older generation........very few anyway.

[Jack960]

I personally don't think much has changed over the years. There will always be parents that don't disciple there kids and kids that are just idiots by human condition. The only thing I believe has changed is how people view the situation

[TC200six]

Last year when I was still seeing a group of people who I used to go to school with (during a stage when peer groups from schools begin to rift apart after high school), I was introduced to a couple of new teenagers who I'd never met before at a day out at Capalaba, QLD. I could tell by the looks of them that they were the "mentally challenged" type and it didn't take long before one of them was seen running away from the group with 2 cops chasing him out of the shopping mall.

The 2 cops angrily came back to us and asked "Who is he?". None of us except his friend knew who he was and one of the cops confronted one of my school buddies, demanding for his name. He didn't know who he was and the cop yelled "We're not stupid, we saw him with you!". Finally his friend admitted who he was and told them where he ran to hide. As soon as she said his first name the cops knew straight away who he was. So he was well known to the police.

The female friend of this thieving moron told me he is really messed up, having stolen from shops before and she was helping him so he wouldn't end up in juvy.

This wasn't the last time I heard from this girl. She put me in a 3-way phone conversation with one of her other friends and I heard her discuss "helping *****'s bail", etc.

She called me again months later, telling me "****** stole from the lolly shop today". I asked if he got in trouble from the police and she said "No, he has been in trouble by the police many times before and police don't scare him anymore".

This really annoys that this kid continues to re-offend and gets let off again. What's worse is that he's got friends doing everything to help him get bailed from custody every time he steals. The girl told me how he's messed up and needs help and to me the only way of helping him is to put him away.

[2011G6E]

...they cut peoples hands off in Saudi Arabia...

[Nova 8]

Children are much like music imo, generations always believe it was better in thier time. Also I find the older the person the more they dislike the current generation and music.

[buddy92]

I won't deny it. I was bad when I was young, although I never shoplifted. I smashed street lights, set alarms off and what not.

My mum chucked me in Juvi for 13 months. Changed me completely I have a ton more respect for my self and everyone around me.

Being in a simular situation with banned from shops ect, when young it doesn't make a difference. Something has to be done to them for something to come out of it.

[Jack960]

I personally don't think much has changed over the years. There will always be parents that don't disciple there kids and kids that are just idiots by human condition. The only thing I believe has changed is how people view the situation

[BHDOGS]

Working in security I see this all the time we have the usual Trouble making kids we just did a personal ban on them whenever we see them we hound them And make them leave it's a personal ban not a lawful ban so its not actually enforcable we just don't like them due to the stealing swearing threats on customers and staff ect. some time in the future we will give them another chance to enter the premises if they mess up its another ban and eventually they stop coming altogether or follow the rules atleast in our area but this place is lucky enough to have manager who cares and is willing to invest in security most place won't bother as its to expensive the company charges 50 an hour But once you add up that the local Coles lost over 100,000 dollars in stock last year from shop lifting its weird they won't spend any on decent security

[Hell Cat]

I worked at wollies for 6 months doing night-fill on top of my current job.

I would always find torn open boxes & wrappers stuffed between things on the shelves.
There would be hair dye boxes, anti ageing cream & various cosmetics, pen & pencil packets, battery packets, dish washing tablet packets.

Y'know all the stuff that teenagers would steal.... (or more likely the average
Housewife)

[XR6T0Y]

The best one I found was a pack of condoms opened and only one taken?

But I agree with the age bracket thing. I know I still don't like a lot of the people I went to school with in previous years to me. Why? They just seemed so ignorant.

Dad would give me the smack when I played up (when I was like 2-5) and I knew not to do what ever it was again. I would not consider doing something like this as there is no need to (shoplifting I mean)

[XR6T0Y]

This here is what i'm talking about. Happened last night, wasn't working though

A man and a teenager have been arrested following an assault at a skate park at Rutherford in the Central Hunter last night.


About 7:30pm, Thursday 20 September 2012, two males attended a home in Harvey Road and attempted to entice the occupants outside.


Police were called and the pair left the area prior to their arrival.


It will be alleged a 22-year-old man and 17-year-old boy, living in Harvey Road, tracked the two males down at the local shopping centre where they became involved in a fight.


During the incident a 19-year-old man was struck on the head with a fibreglass mattock handle and sustained a laceration to his forehead.


He was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to the John Hunter Hospital where he will undergo surgery on his facial injuries.


Police were patrolling the area when they allegedly witnessed the assault.


Officers were forced to deploy capsicum spray when they attempted to arrest a 22-year-old man after he refused to drop the handle of the fibreglass mattock.


Two males were arrested and taken to Maitland Police Station.


A 22-year-old man was charged with reckless wounding, recklessly cause grievous bodily harm in company and affray and refused bail to appear in Maitland Local Court today (Friday 21 September 2012).


His 17-year-old friend was charged with affray and granted conditional bail to appear in Maitland Children’s Court on Tuesday 9 October 2012

[revcore]

A few years ago when I was doing nightfill at the Safeway/Woolies in Lakes Entrance (East Gippsland, Victoria), I'd often see kids steal Mars bars and assorted small items. One night there was this one kid who put a bottle of shampoo in his jacket pocket in plain sight of me then proceeded past the checkout without paying so I ran after him and grabbed him and marched him back into the store where police were called. Then the next night there he is again stealing stuff....I couldn't believe it. He looked at me and laughed and said "I'm a minor, The law doesn't mean crap to me".
Is it just me or are the police powerless to do anything when it comes to juvenile offenders? I know it's up to the childrens court to hand out the punishment but it would appear they are too soft.