Culture in the shop: who provokes teenagers to shoplifting
Shoplifting from the usual small-scale trade is gradually becoming a destructive youth subculture. This is facilitated by online communities of so-called shoplifters. The "rules of the game" are formulated in chat rooms, the exchange of criminal experience flourishes, and hatred of security guards and law enforcement agencies is cultivated. The idea that shoplifting is one of the ways to succeed is also being actively promoted. Izvestia dealt with the problem.
The community
A few days ago, security guards at a supermarket in St. Petersburg used brute force to detain a customer suspected of carrying unpaid goods, resulting in the death of a young man. The crime has attracted public attention, and the case is under the control of the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. Meanwhile, murder is widely discussed in the circles of shoplifters. Criminals have long been united in chat rooms and channels where they share experiences and mock security.
Shoplifters have several platforms of their own in various social networks and messengers. One of the most popular channels is on Telegram, it has more than 10 thousand subscribers. Every day, the administrator posts from one to four posts on the topic of shoplifting. "Learn how to do things, suckers" — for example, this is how the theft of cucumbers and bananas in Tyumen is commented on, followed by the sale of products on the market.
It's not a shame for them.
An analysis of the content posted by subscribers suggests that for many of them, stealing products is not an extreme necessity at all, but a kind of hobby, a way to get adrenaline. Thieves post videos where they (in some cases, without hiding their faces) brag about their "exploits." Readers' comments are encouraging. "I firmly believe that shoplifting is one of the most important skills in life, which every decent kid must master," the admin writes.
The channel openly laughs at the moral and religious condemnation of theft and publishes videos with "shame boards" from the past (previously, it was practiced to post photos of thieves at the entrance to stores).
Online School of Theft
There are also very specific instructions for theft. "We need to find new blue dots on the maps, if there aren't any, then look at all [the name of the store] in a row, read the reviews and maybe you'll be lucky to find a store after the renovation, there are also no cameras for about a week. My comrades and I are already taking carts out of there," the channel shares information from the subscriber (spelling and punctuation are preserved).
Users also post photos of "blind spots" in stores. Subscribers are especially happy about the lack of cameras in the hygiene products departments, where you can profit from expensive, liquid and long-stored products.
The channel talks in detail about how the security system in stores is arranged, how to peek into security cameras to figure out blind spots, and also what is better to wear to deceive video surveillance with AI.
Cashiers, store administrators, and security guards are the target of thieves' bullying. Dozens of offensive videos and albums of photos of sleeping supervisors or guards are published. A lot of likes were collected by a video in which an unmasked juvenile thief demands to be released and demolishes racks with goods. In one of the videos, a friend of a young thief caught on the street shoots a cashier girl on camera and insults her filthily. After she took the stolen items and wanted to return to the store, the man who was filming spat in her face several times.
But some opponents are respected by shoplifters. For example, those who prevent theft in the gym or clearly and correctly put hapless thieves in their place.
The most popular products among thieves are shaving machines, dry mixes for children, square chocolates, expensive energy drinks, alcohol, butter, packaged cheese, red fish in vacuum packaging, enamel and spray paint. In general, everything that can be quickly and imperceptibly fit into a compact backpack.
The thief's dictionary:
Bronnik is a hand luggage screen that allows you to bypass the alarm system at the exit.
Holey — a thief's rag backpack with a makeshift hole in it from the back (through the hole, the thief fills his satchel with goods without removing it from his shoulders).
To steal is to get, to steal from shoplifters. The word comes from the English loot — "prey".
Jack is the store's security guard.
Shoplifting — from the English shoplifting, shoplifting.
Almost an ideological movement
— Shoplifting among teenagers is not a new phenomenon, such behavior has been observed for a long time. Previously, such actions were usually carried out by small groups of children, most often from disadvantaged families. For them, it was a way to get adrenaline, eat something, or earn extra money," says Elena Zamyshevskaya, a psychologist and specialist in deviant adolescents.
Some of the teenagers resold stolen groceries or cigarettes, the expert says.
— Now I see that this phenomenon has acquired a peculiar form in the digital environment and is developing as a subculture, advancing among young people thanks to the Internet, — says Zamyshevskaya. — Modern digitalization allows teenagers to join communities through chat rooms and blogs — guys from different cities join there, who share their experiences, photos with "trophies", and organize competitions to see who steals the most.
Do not underestimate the danger of participating in such channels and groups, teenagers become more vulnerable to involvement in other destructive trends, the Izvestia interlocutor believes.
Payback for the prank
Lawyer Ekaterina Krasnova explained that shoplifting is subject to both administrative and criminal liability. According to Article 7.27 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, for theft of products worth less than 2.5 thousand rubles, the maximum penalty is arrest for up to 15 days. The culprit will also be charged damages in the amount of up to five times the value of the stolen products. Criminal prosecution depends on the amount of damage caused and the specific circumstances — usually such cases are investigated under the article on attempted theft (if the stolen goods were seized at the exit of the outlet). In some cases, when the theft occurred openly, the theft may be reclassified as robbery (art. 161 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In her opinion, such channels contribute to the involvement of minors in illegal activities.
— Young people who are guided by such channels have little idea of the legal consequences in case of capture. We are not even talking about compensation for damage to the store or a fine for parents under the article on non-fulfillment of duties for the upbringing of minors, but also about preventive registration. For a teenager who was brought to administrative responsibility or was "in pencil" in the police, the doors of a number of educational institutions may be closed in the future. It is possible that this kind of compromising data will leak online and become public knowledge. And with such a stain in his biography, he is unlikely to be hired in a number of fields of activity, for example, banking or law enforcement," says Krasnova.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
