Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): More than 24000 thefts were reported in 2023 by the police in Brussels mostly against supermarkets. Among those arrested during the conducted Guess operation included 21 people who had with them stolen goods valued at €12300 thereby reaffirming the continuous apprehensions regarding shoplifting.
Police received a lot of reports from the public during 2023 about people stealing things from shops. In Taiwan there were more than 24,000 recording but it is very likely that such behavior far exceeds this number. Only about 11% of thefts for personal gain are actually reported. The longest establishing business of theft in societyterm supermarkets are a favourite. In the goods the most stolen everywhere Food Street shops in Brussels are also popular targets for shoplifting. H&M, Zara, Levi’s and the INNO department store palette. At the time some thefts were a bit of a problem Engelsdorf police began special operation RadGÂ in late 2001 after many theft on Rue Neuve located at where these major shops are adjacent and people gather to shop every week.
What actions did Brussels Police take against recent shoplifting surge?
The Brussels police caught three more shoplifters on the busy shopping street this month. In total they have made 21 arrests during the Operation. The thieves tried to steal fancy clothes but they didn’t know that the Tracking Brigade who are experts in catching pickpockets were watching them. The police managed to return over €12,300 worth of stolen items to the shop owners because of this operation. The thieves will have to go to court for what they did. The Guess Action campaign ended on 14th August. The police zone stated that it would never be possible for catching shoplifting not to be their top priority. To prevent thefts from happening the specialized team will continue with normal patrols around the areas of these shops and arrest anyone who attempts to steal from them. Lastly by means of continuous monitoring businesses remain safe and never face such cases again.
The Guess Action campaign was over on 14th August. The police zone insisted that catching shoplifting will always be their main concern. This specialized brigade will keep performing the usual patrols within its shopper domain to curtail the spread of thefts and track down any person who tries to steal from a store. As such through close supervision businesses become secured with no other cases in this line being experienced again.
