CCTV footage of alleged shoplifter shared on social media
A police chief has said part of the reason for a rise in shoplifting in East Lothian is people 'not being taught how to behave' in stores.
Chief Inspector Ben Leathes, divisional commander, acknowledged the crime remains a cause of concern for communities in the county.
And he told a meeting of East Lothian Council's police, fire and community safety board, part of the problem was a lack of education.
His comments come as CCTV footage of one alleged shoplifter was shared on social media by a local shop owner sparking claims the same offender had been on a spree in several other stores.
The Day Today, in Tranent, appealed for anyone who could identify the man, who was caught on camera appearing to take a box of detergent off a shelf and put it into a carrier bag yesterday, to contact them.
Angry locals responded alleging the same man had been seen in other shops that day and the day before.
Police Scotland said it had not received a report of shoplifting at the store adding: 'Anyone wishing to report a crime should contact us via 101.'
Speaking at the meeting of the board yesterday morning, Chief Inspector Leathes said that while reports of shoplifting had fallen slightly over the last year they remained 'prolific'. The number of incidents reported was nearly 63% higher than the five year average with nearly 3,500 complaints.
The chief inspector said: 'Shoplifting is on the increase and there are multi layered causes behind that, which we can tackle.
'We can look at why individuals are shoplifting, Whether it is down to their own addiction, whether it is down to simply not being able to put food on the table or whether it is down to just not being taught how to behave in a shop.
'There are lots of causes to it, it does seem more prolific than it has been.'
The police chief said a specialist unit had been established to tackle retail crime nationally with £3m funding from the Scottish Government working with a number of agencies.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
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