Shoplifter in Wittenberge: Police are looking for witnesses after the outbreak of violence!

Shoplifter in Wittenberge: Police are looking for witnesses after the outbreak of violence!

On June 24th at around 10:58 a.m., an incident occurred in the food market on Hornring in Wittenberge, which sent local authorities into disarray. A suspected shoplifter grabbed food and tried to disappear undisturbed. But the store detective supervising the store stood in his way, which led to a dangerous attack. The perpetrator refused to allow himself to be spoken to and threw a glass bottle in the direction of the store detective, who fortunately was not injured. The criminal police have launched an extensive search for witnesses to clarify the incident. Information on identifying the perpetrator can be given to the Prignitz police station on 03876/715-0 nordkurier.de reported.

The alleged perpetrator is described as follows: He is male, around 180 cm tall, has a southern phenotype, black hair and has a full beard. His clothing consisted of a blue hooded jacket with “Northface” inscription and short orange pants, as well as a baseball cap. In this day and age when crime rates are on the rise, the incident does not appear to be an isolated incident. In Germany, the number of shopliftings has increased sharply, especially since the end of the corona pandemic. In 2023, statistics showed that there were around 426,000 reports of shoplifting - the highest number since 2006. The costs of theft prevention totaled an impressive 1.55 billion euros deutschlandfunk.de reported.

Legal consequences of shoplifting

So what happens when shoplifting is discovered? The investigation is initiated, the police secure evidence, question witnesses and interrogate the accused. As a rule, once the investigation has been completed, the proceedings can either be discontinued based on the evidence, or can proceed to the main hearing through a penalty order or an indictment. Society has a great interest in such acts being prosecuted, as they have both criminal and social consequences. rightscheck.de explains that the penalties for simple shoplifting can vary slightly: from fines to imprisonment of up to five years.

The current market situation is forcing many people to indulge in occasional theft, often out of financial necessity or boredom. Speaking of necessity: The value of the stolen goods is no small matter; goods worth 13 million euros disappear from the shelves every day - this not only hurts retailers, but also the tax authorities. In 2022, there was a loss of over 500 million euros in VAT, as the study by the EHI Retail Institute shows.

Impact on retail

The effects of shoplifting cannot only be measured numerically, they also affect the end consumer. The costs of theft prevention are incorporated into the pricing and are ultimately borne by the customer. Retailers are increasingly turning to advanced security measures to prevent theft, from surveillance cameras to security tags. With the hope that new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, will enable even more effective prevention in the future, retail remains on the move.

The gap between possibility and reality is often narrow. The incident in Wittenberge clearly shows that this reality can no longer be ignored, even in small towns. The police are therefore calling on anyone who saw something to come forward and help the community become safer.