‘Well-dressed’ shoplifters on the prowl in Prahran, traders say
TRADERS are calling for a database of suspected shop thieves following a spate of thefts at small businesses in Prahran, including some allegedly committed by “well-dressed women”.
Shelley Panton, owner of homewares shop The Shelley Panton Store on Malvern Rd, which was hit by shoplifters as recently as October 16, said some thieves appeared to frequent the area and, contrary to popular stereotypes, some were well-attired women who appeared opportunistic rather than needy.
Ms Panton said last month such a woman entered her store about noon and allegedly took about $400 in goods while the shop assistant served another customer.
It was the second incident this year where she believed a seemingly well-groomed woman had helped herself to her stock.
“The margins are really small for independent businesses. When you do lose stock it does hit us more (compared to larger chain stores),” Ms Panton said.
“I would hope that police would be proactive in circulating images of thieves.”
Another Prahran trader, Caroline, who asked that her business not be identified, said her store was targeted by shoplifters last year, just six months after it opened.
The suspected culprit was a neatly dressed woman who she later discovered was notorious among other traders.
Ms Panton said she had spent $3000 to upgrade the security camera system in her store.
Crime Statistics Agency Victoria data showed 4727 thefts were reported by residents and businesses across Stonnington in the year to June, up almost 17 per cent within 12 months.
Acting Stonnington Inspector Dermot Avon said images of suspected thieves were available on the Crime Stoppers website.
Prematurely publishing or sharing images of people suspected of illegal activity ran the risk of wrongly identifying an innocent person as a suspect, he said, and could also compromise police investigations.