SHOPLIFTING is a surprisingly complex crime. This is because the motivation of shoplifters can vary greatly from case to case.

At one extreme there are professional criminals who make a living through their light-fingered activities. At the other there are compulsive kleptomaniacs, whose habit is, to all intents and purposes, beyond personal control.

To make matters worse from the point of view of all concerned – which includes shopkeepers, the police and those accused of leaving with goods for which they have not paid – there are also cases involving the confused elderly and those who have absent-mindedly wandered past the checkout.

Yet although all these categories will be represented among the Island’s shoplifters, the nature of the goods most frequently stolen, plus testimony from retailers, indicates that there is a high, and increasing, level of criminality.

Luxury cuts of meat and wine feature prominently on the list of goods stolen, which points to a degree of premeditation – or at least sudden temptation – on the part of those committing the thefts. Kleptomania or absent-mindedness would tend to produce a more random selection of items.

There is also evidence that Jersey has a better class of shoplifter than is the norm elsewhere. Although it is more than plausible that the recession and consequent hardship have led to increased numbers of thefts, retailers are aware that shoplifting is by no means confined to the poorer members of the community. Men and women in very well-paid and responsible jobs are among those apprehended by security staff.

But shopkeepers’ problems on the shoplifting front are not limited to detecting and catching offenders and distinguishing between the truly guilty and those who might have a plausible excuse.

There is a tendency to regard thefts from the shelves of a supermarket or the counter of a corner shop as less serious than other categories of larceny. Indeed, it is reported that in minor cases the police can be reluctant to prosecute – perhaps because the bureaucracy involved is out of proportion with the scale of the crime.

If this attitude does exist, it is understandable, but to be deplored. Fear of being caught deters potential shoplifters, and the planned revamped version of the Shop Watch scheme will help in this respect.

However, deterrence can only be reinforced if there is a high probability of the guilty being taken to court and dealt with appropriately.