Shop thefts in growth – « worrying », says the merchant

Shoplifting They have increased, says Statistics Finland.

In the first quarter of the year, 16,300 stores were reported in the first quarter of the year, which is 22 % more than a year ago.

Especially in Helsinki has been stolen. More than 1,500 more reports were made than a year ago.

According to Statistics Finland, the number of shops has increased since the beginning of the corona pandemia. According to the center, theft has been increased, among other things, by a general poor economic situation.

Helsinki K-Supermarket Posti Merchant in the city center Mikko Länsiluoto It has not noticed that there would have been more theft in the store in the early part of the year.

Recently, however, the store has featured spring start and warm weather. They have increased theft.

Alcohol but also food is often stolen from the store.

« It can be sweets or protein bars, or it can be anything, on the edge. It is worrying if it is increasingly acceptable, » Länsiluoto says.

Some of the thieves are professional criminals.

« Fucking, it’s not ok. It’s wrong and out of our result. We are individual entrepreneurs, so it is out of any investment or anything else. »

The previous one Once in the storage of shops there was a similar spike in 2009, when a global financial crisis was lived.

In addition to the deterioration of the standard of living, the increase in the number of shoplifting theft may be influenced by the expansion of the use of a fine conversion penalty in 2021.