Female shoplifters targeting security guards, retail staff?

Sept. 4, 2009

If you’re a member of the retail security industry, you may want to take a look at a story from our friends across the pond this week about female shoplifters attempting to catch security guards and other male staff members in compromising positions.

In this incident, the suspect reportedly conducted a striptease in front of a convenient store manager, who later let her go fearing repercussions. Apparently, this is a common tactic among female thieves in the country, trying to frame male staff members for sexual assaults as a way to finagle themselves out of a jam.

It wouldn’t surprise me if shoplifters in the U.S. began to mimic the actions of their English brethren. Luckily, word of these women’s actions have begun to spread throughout the UK and now security guards and other retail personnel are being warned not to be caught alone with these thieves after they are apprehended.

As one official in the story put in, this is truly a despicable act by criminals to cover up for their own crimes. Even if allegations against someone are found out to be untrue, the person still has to walk around with the stigma that they’ve been accused of a sex crime.