POLOKWANE – Police in the city are urging residents to make sure that they are aware of where their children are and what they are doing at all times.
This comes after there has been a rise in shoplifting in shops and shopping centres in the city since the beginning of the school holidays.
Polokwane Police Spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala, urged residents, especially the youth, not to get involved in criminal activities such as shoplifting as it can leave them with a permanent criminal record.
Manager of a local chain store in the city, Andries Keppler, said there have been several cases where children were found shoplifting items like sweets and foodstuffs and occasionally a cold drink with the most prevalent excuse being that the children were dropped off at the shopping complex or mall and ran out of money for food so they stole something to eat or drink.
“When we contact the parents to inform them of what happened, they usually come to pay the money for the items shoplifted by the children. Unfortunately there have been some cases where we had to call the police because the children did not want to give us their parents’ information. Most of the children involved in shoplifting incidents are between the ages of 15 and 18, senior learners from local schools,” Keppler told Review.
Phala said both parents and their children should realise that they will get into trouble with the law and that something like shoplifting is a crime which means the guilty party will have a criminal record if caught and found guilty. He said although a charge of theft can result in a fine, the main thing to keep in mind is that for one mistake that took just a moment to make, can make an impact on a child’s life that will negatively affect the rest of their lives.
