Wrongly Accused Shoplifting In Tesco - Help

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Wow - some of you are like scavenging vultures!!! Talk about kick someone while they are down. Is it so difficult to bite your tongue and say no sorry i think you were in the wrong and should have shown your receipt mate, without the personal attacks. I am actually quite dissapointed at the way this thread has turned out.

I think it's clear, the OP and the security guards where both being stubborn - who said they were polite? if they weren't (many many of them are sooo rude, thinking they are the bee's knee's) i would have given them a peice of my mind too (not to the extent of the police being called i must admit) but i sure would have made them feel alot smaller for being rude and tell them to learn some manners and then ask me. It was just a stand off that went too far.

I have been in a similar situation - or just kind of. One eve i popped to my local supermarket and was just wearing jogging bootoms and a pullover (no make up, i must have looked about 13 as i am so small) All i had was car keys and purse, oh and a big 8month pregnant belly. This security guard followed me around the store - i figured out pretty early on why so i let him follow me while i do a small shop, and then to the till, i paid and went to leave and guess what, as i did he had the cheek to ask me to reveal what i had hidden under my jumper (?!?). I laughed and asked him if he was serious. He was! So i did - and he got a flash of my big belly wrapped in a belly band and said 'there, you happy, ''now i think you should go checkout the lady back there in her weelchair, she might be faking that too'' (just joking sarcastically). You should have seen his face! I can laugh at it now but at the time i was so furious!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Lol, i just re-read my post there. I am not defending either side- just saying please people, be a little more open minded and ask questions to gether WHY rather than attack! Hope you get my drift and hopefully we can pick this thread back up and out of the gutter

PS. OP is a regular and longstanding mse'er - not nice to out anyone over one slightly out of control incident.

oldagetraveller

so2006 wrote: »

* Dont waist police time, they could of stopped some chavs hanging around a cornor shop!

And the above could be interpreted as a bit of a "chavy" sentence too, innit?

LULULU1

I think it would be appropiate for you to be arrested for wasting Police time. When we are constantly complaining aboutr the lack of Police on the streets, the last thing we need is confrontational and unnecessary behaviour such as this.

redrabbit29

suekjw wrote: »

I think you created the problem yourself to be honest. I got asked to show a receipt once. I did, they thanked me and we both went on 0ur way.

100% agree. The security staff have a job to do, and are used to some "customers" running and fighting. You were obstructive by the sounds of it and if they were asking for proof of purchase which you refused to show it probably made you look even worse.

What did you expect them to think if you are bagging products right next to where they are stored, and then leaving without going to the tills? I'm not saying that's wrong, but to a security officer, they probably thought you had just walked in, picked them up and walked out.


Edit:

The the OP - it seems like you've had a lot of replies to this thread, some not very helpful. Please feel free to complain, perhaps the security guys were not very clear, or didn't explain your rights? Legally they can't search you, but can ask to see proof of purchase, or ask you kindly to look in your bag.

If that was the case, then I would write a letter to the Tesco store and to the head office. Hope you feel more positive soon, sorry for all the negative sounding threads.

eyeinthesky

Having worked in retail security for the last 5 1/2 years, I have never asked to see inside a customer's bag. The reason for this is that I will never stop anyone, unless I am 100% sure that they have items that they have not paid for. I will not rely solely on the word of another customer, or even the word of a member of staff. In those circumstances, I would quickly review the cctv to be sure a theft has taken place, whilst a colleague continues to monitor the suspected customer. If I cannot find any evidence of theft before the customer leaves, then they are allowed to leave. If I find the evidence afterwards, then I will make a report to the police and pass on any video evidence. I will also keep a photo to identify the suspect on any future visits to the store, and they will be closely monitored.
Whilst it is true that you are not obliged to show your bag and/or receipt to security, you will be forcing them to decide if they have sufficient evidence to arrest you. At this stage you will have made them even more suspicious by refusing to comply. You will possibly be arrested, then be taken to a holding room or the security office, where they will then ask you to empty your bag and show your receipt, but as they cannot search you, they will probably call the police. This may take 2 hours or more, if the police are busy. When the police arrive, they will need to check your identity, if you do not carry anything with your details on, they may decide to escort you home so you can prove your identity. If you have something that you haven't paid for, expect a Penalty Notice for Disorder, provided that you have not already received one previously, within a certain timeframe. This carries an £80 fine, if paid promptly, but can increase to £120, then £180 if not paid.

To avoid all this, just show the receipt and bag!

hollydays

In this scenario though,they don't have sufficient evidence to arrest the OP...

Aspiring

hollydays wrote: »

In this scenario though,they don't have sufficient evidence to arrest the OP...

Which is why he wasn't arrested

Pound

eyeinthesky wrote: »

Whilst it is true that you are not obliged to show your bag and/or receipt to security, you will be forcing them to decide if they have sufficient evidence to arrest you. At this stage you will have made them even more suspicious by refusing to comply. You will possibly be arrested, then be taken to a holding room or the security office, where they will then ask you to empty your bag and show your receipt, but as they cannot search you, they will probably call the police.

Then when it turns out they hadn't stolen anything look forward to defending yourself against a kidnapping charge.

As a security guard you should know that citizens arrest is only permitted if you know the crime has happened not just because they didn't show you the contents of their bag.

oldone_2

Pound wrote: »

As a security guard you should know that citizens arrest is only permitted if you know the crime has happened not just because they didn't show you the contents of their bag.

Even the so called 'citizens arrest' is a big no-no, as it could lead to the security guard, or indeed anyone else being accused of assault.