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Retail merchants in Germany complain about a noticeable increase in the thefts in stores and inadequate judicial persecution of criminals.
“The damage caused by the thefts of the store amounted to three billion euros in 2024 – 20 percent more than in 2022,” said Stefan Gend, managing director of the German retail union (HDE) with T -online Gate.
According to Genth, thefts are increasingly organized by gangs. “Groups of criminals cross the centers of cities. They steal high -quality goods – weapons, shoes, electronics – and sell them in the gray market. ” Employees are also exposed to more aggressive individual criminals if they try to cope with them.
There is a huge shortage of law enforcement agencies that thieves use: “Retail sellers make a lawsuit, and the prosecutors then close the case of efficiency. As a result, many retailers are disappointed and no longer complain of theft. ”
The number of inconsistent cases is extremely high: 98% of thefts are not reported.
In the USA, goods are increasingly locked behind glass. Genth is afraid that this may be necessary in Germany, although this is “an expression of distrust for all customers” – where “more than 90 percent is honest”.
Therefore, the state is in demand and should better equip the principles of law enforcement agencies.
Genth does not see the connection between new self -assessment funds and an increase in theft: “We cannot confirm this connection.”