2023-11-16 13:32:00
Because yes, these thefts also have an impact on the price you pay in store. If we include the amount of thefts (nearly 1 billion) and the cost of investments in store security systems, shrinkage represents a total cost of 1.3 billion euros. A sum that traders must obviously recover in one way or another and which they pass on to prices. It is therefore estimated that flights “cost” €119 per year per citizen.
A new national sport in vogue: 4 out of 10 Belgians steal from the supermarket!
The immediate collection system in the event of theft, introduced by the former Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne, was to be a new weapon to counter this scourge. But it remains very little used. Last year, it was noted that the system was mainly used by police districts and public prosecutors’ offices in Antwerp and Limburg. West and East Flanders followed suit, as did Louvain, Halle-Vilvoorde and Walloon Brabant. But, in the south of the country, the immediate perception does not seem to appeal. Since the beginning of 2022 and until August of this year, 596 immediate perceptions had been recorded, which is very few compared to the number of complaints, which are also well below the number of thefts recorded.
“It’s not surprising,” says Fabrizio, manager of a clothing store. “It’s already not easy to arrest a thief in the act and simply recover the goods. So, if we also have to detain him until the police arrive… I don’t think not that immediate perception is the solution.”
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Fabrizio also admits that he rarely files a complaint in the event of theft. “In my entourage, there are very few traders who file a complaint in the event of theft if the damage is not very high. It is of no use and we don’t have the time. But these repeated small thefts are very damaging to the end of the year. We are destitute.”
However, on the side of Comeos and the UCM, the immediate perception system is seen as one more weapon against the feeling of impunity. Fines which can go up to €350, payable on site or by transfer within 15 days, under penalty of referral to court. “It’s very good,” concludes Fabrizio, “but it’s practically impossible to implement for small traders. At the very least, you’d have to be able to afford a security guard to intercept the thief. And that’s only the big brands and shopping centers commercials can afford it. Moreover, thieves know very well the flaws in the system. If they refuse, they risk being sent to court, but the prosecutors’ offices are so overwhelmed that they rarely follow up on these ” small “files…”
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