[originaltext] Shop-lifters can be divided into three main categories: the p

Shop-lifters can be divided into three main categories: the professionals, the deliberate amateurs, and the people who just can’t help themselves. The professionals do not pose much of a problem for the store detectives assisted by closed circuit television, two-way mirrors and various other technological devices. The professionals tend to go for high value goods in parts of the shops where security measures are the tightest. And, in any case, they account for only a small percentage of the total losses due to shoplifting.
    The same applies to the deliberate amateurs who are, so to speak, professionals in training. Most of them get caught sooner or later, and they are dealt with severely by the courts.
    The real problem is the person who gives way to a sudden temptation and is in all other respects an honest and law-abiding citizen. Contrary to what one would expect, this kind of shop-lifter is rarely poor. He does not steal because he needs the goods and cannot afford to pay for them. He steals because he simply cannot stop himself. And there are countless others who, because of age, sickness or plain absentmindedness, simply forget to pay for what they take from the shops. When caught, all are liable to prosecution, and the decision whether to send for the police or not is in the hands of the store manager.
    In order to prevent the incredible growth in shop-lifting, some stores are doing their best to separate the thieves from the confused by prohibiting customers from taking bags into the store. However, what is most worrying about the problem is that it is yet another instance of the innocent majority being penalized and inconvenienced because of the actions of a small minority.