Interesting witnessing two shoplifters outdone by a shop manager

Hey folks, let me share with you what I witnessed on Monday, 10 October 2022, when I went shopping. For the security, safety, and protection of the image of the shop in question, I will neither mention its name, nor location. When I was in the queue waiting for my turn at the checkout to pay for my groceries, I could see at the front of the checkout a security officer in casual dress obstructing two Eastern Europeans from leaving the shop. There was loud talk. They had become a cynosure. Many shoppers in the queues were inquiring about what had happened and what was going on. One of the Eastern Europeans, a white man, of course, had filled a very beautiful big carrier bag he was holding with items removed from the shop shelves but not paid for. As he tried to exit the shop, the anti-theft device installed at the door went off. He was confronted by both a uniformed and a casually dressed security officer. While the uniformed officer retreated to his normal manning position, the other officer brought the shoplifters into the checkout area as said above. As all eyes were set on them with tongues wagging, the shoplifters became so embarrassed. From the unfolding events, one could tell that the Eastern European being ordered to empty his pockets, but not subjected to a pat-down search as the officer has no authority for that type of search, was becoming increasingly agitated. His accomplice, although he had personally not stolen anything from the shop, told both the store manager and the security officer that he was ready to pay for the stolen items so they should let go of his colleague who had actually stolen the items. The manager agreed, took him to the checkout staff where I was queuing up, and got him to pay for the stolen items. After payment, the manager and the security officer started walking back to the shop floor with the carrier bag containing the stolen items. The Eastern European who had agreed to pay for them, asking his colleague who actually stole the goods to leave the shop when the commotion became so intense with the likelihood of the police being called for them, followed the manager onto the shop floor. All the while, he was asking the manager to give him back the items since he has already paid for them. The manager refused. He asked him to call the police if really wanted to be given the items. He told the Eastern European until he called the police and they came, he was not going to release the stolen items to him. The checkout staff serving us said, “He wanted to steal from us. For attempting to steal from us, he has a price to pay and that is the forfeiture of the items. He thought he was smart. We’ve made him pay for them but withheld the goods from him.” What a smart move by the store manager! The guy went on his phone, left the shop, and was hanging around. I saw his colleague who had actually stolen the items coming towards him when I left the shop. I told the one on the phone when passing him by that he had better forget about the items since he would be in trouble should he call the police over. What was he going to tell the police? Should he tell them he had stolen from the shop, as could be proven by the close circuit television cameras (CCTV cameras), he would rather be in trouble. He will end up taken to the police station, a statement taken from him, and charged to court. He could end up with a fine, a criminal record on his file, and a ban from the shop. That policy of the shop as witnessed by me is superb. It saves the shop from losing money by not calling the police. If they called the police and the case went to court, both the security officer and the manager will have to attend as witnesses. They have to be paid by the shop, although they will not have worked to earn the shop any money for that day. Again, their policy could be for the avoidance of any inconveniences relating to transportation, arranging for replacement personnel while they are away from duty for that period of attending the court. Anyone who shoplifts and is made to undergo the experience of the two Eastern Europeans under discussion will be stupid if they called the police as was suggested to the shoplifter by the shop manager as in this publication. How I wish many shops could do the same. They should only call the police for the shoplifters in the event of their inability to immediately pay for the items stolen. Kudos to the shop manager and the security officers. How I wish this fine policy of the shop in question could be replicated in other shops across the United Kingdom.