shoplifting food

Andy From Sligo

If you heard of someone robbing food from a supermarket or somewhere for (genuinely) because they (or their family) are starving would you think they have to be accountable and punished or would you feel sorry for them?

purely hypothetical , I have never done it myself or had to thanks be to God! - but i think I remember a couple of years ago reading it in the champion that a father stole some food because he couldn't feed the family. Got caught and I think he went to prison for a while for it. - maybe he had some other convictions maybe i dunno.

AustinLostin

I guess the context that lead them to having to steal to not starve would be relevant.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

If my child didn't have enough to eat and I didn't have the money to buy any I would steal food in a heart beat. And I would have no moral problem with doing it.

But every Irish adult earns or is given enough money to provide food for themselves and their children. So morally I think it is quite inexcusable in a country like Ireland.

So my answer is yes and no. Depends entirely on the situation.

biko

I heard of elderly people shoplifting things like cheese and bread, that is so sad.

Even an older woman got caught shoplifting a cake so she would have something to put on the table when the grand-kids arrived.

Andy From Sligo

biko wrote: »

I heard of elderly people shoplifting things like cheese and bread, that is so sad.

Even an older woman got caught shoplifting a cake so she would have something to put on the table when the grand-kids arrived.

ah bless i feel sorry for that situation

Andy From Sligo

Was watching a Sky news special this morning on people getting this new Universal Credit paid monthly instead of fortnightly and the reporter was talking to people in the food bank there, and one of the mums hadnt eaten for at least 2 days to feed her children.

What a terrible indictment that in this day and age in first world countries that food banks even have to be in existence!

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Was watching a Sky news special this morning on people getting this new Universal Credit paid monthly instead of fortnightly and the reporter was talking to people in the food bank there, and one of the mums hadnt eaten for at least 2 days to feed her children.

What a terrible indictment that in this day and age in first world countries that food banks even have to be in existence!

Think between the Tories and Brexit the need for food banks in the UK will only increase over the coming years.

Allinall

We need to bring back butter vouchers.

McCrack

If it is Ireland we are talking about then no there is no excuse to steal food under the guise of "starvation".

We have a social welfare system and charitable services available to people in need.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Allinall wrote: »

We need to bring back butter vouchers.

We don't even need to go back that far. Plenty of government cheese was handed out to Irish people during the recession.

Andy From Sligo

Allinall wrote: »

We need to bring back butter vouchers.

that takes me back to the 90's where people were using them to buy other stuff like fags etc....

Andy From Sligo

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

We don't even need to go back that far. Plenty of government cheese was handed out to Irish people during the recession.

cheesy governments

Herb Powell

In a world where so much food is just thrown out while plenty go hungry, shoplift away I say.

Yes, it's not ideal, but in terms of all crimes going I'd consider it the least serious.

123shooter

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

Think between the Tories and Brexit the need for food banks in the UK will only increase over the coming years.

And how do you base your reasoning for this then?

The Tory's only look after the rich?...........When the supposingly Socialist EU hireachy are looking after themselves and the mega rich multi-national companies that they then base their EU policies on the multi-national companies requirements and desires.........so in effect looking after the mega rich and their followers at the expense of the poor.

The British people voted for Brexit........... or are you saying wealthy people voted for Brexit? So the great unwashed would be starving in the streets when actually it was mainly the great unwashed that voted for Brexit because they were fed up of being ruled by rich people in the EU.

Back on topic..........I have never heard of people (today) being so poor they have to steal food except when their money is being spent elsewhere such as drugs/fags/booze or when a family member has debts or is with holding food money for some reason.

Andy From Sligo

wonder how you could get a Judge, on a high wage - never has he or his family had the likelihood of ever going hungry ... put someone away in prison or fining them for shoplifting food - any decent person/judge would throw the case out of court wouldnt they?

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

wonder how you could get a Judge, on a high wage - never has he or his family had the likelihood of ever going hungry ... put someone away in prison or fining them for shoplifting food - any decent person/judge would throw the case out of court wouldnt they?

They could probably be convicted but I doubt they'd get a custodial sentence.

I would imagine the only shoplifters who are actually sent down would be career types with reams of offences to their name, lifting high-value items instead of food.

lazybones32

With st.v de p, etc, there is no need to steal.
Stealing isn't right because someone loses out along the way.

I see people targetting corner shops to rob produce but any loss to the small trader is more keenly felt, rather than to large franchises.

riffmongous

Now I don't go back to Lidl

Sue Pa Key Pa

Not acceptable in Ireland, with so many supports available. How many parents of 'starving' children always have a packet of Rothmans in their pocket? What about the poor shopkeeper, who may be on the verge of losing his business and has to suffer this? If he is self employed, he'll get very little State aid to feed his family

sbsquarepants

Undoubtedly some people are more light fingered than others, but nobody would rather starve than steal.
As soon as my belly or my kids belly starts to rumble - Tesco better watch out, no qualms whatsoever!

Hypothetically of course - in reality it doesn't get that far in this country.

Andy From Sligo

Candie wrote: »

They could probably be convicted but I doubt they'd get a custodial sentence.

I would imagine the only shoplifters who are actually sent down would be career types with reams of offences to their name, lifting high-value items instead of food.

so just the fact of being convicted means that the person that carried it out, out of desperation gets convicted and is left with a criminal record? - meaning that if they did wanted to work or adopt or do something else would be hindered because they have a criminal record.. and more than likely on top of it all would have their name splashed in the local papers.

That must open up another question. If a person is doing it legitimately to feed themselves or family and get convicted they get a criminal record and therefore are a criminal? !

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

................

But every Irish adult earns or is given enough money to provide food for themselves and their children. So morally I think it is quite inexcusable in a country like Ireland.......................

I'd imagine there are folks in relationships where one half squanders the money on drink, gambling or AN Other and the other half might be left to provide for them all out of very little. Throw in a few slaps etc into the bargain too.

riffmongous

Herb Powell wrote: »

In a world where so much food is just thrown out while plenty go hungry, shoplift away I say.

Yes, it's not ideal, but in terms of all crimes going I'd consider it the least serious.

Yeah it's disgraceful how much food gets dumped. I use to volunteer at a place that would run an open sunday breakfast for the local community, and the local bakeries would give us the leftover bread and cakes from saturday (shops closed on sunday), otherwise they would have just went in the bin.

LollipopJimmy

Having spent years dealing with the larger chains I knew a few decent skin store managers.I remember one telling me a security guard of his made an absolute show of a woman who had stolen a packet of weetabix and paid for milk with coppers. Child in tow too. At the end of the day security guard was doing his job but then compassion shone through, store manager told the woman to fill a trolley with about 60quids worth of food and be on her way.

Now had the woman been stealing 'luxury' items or not been made a show of by the security guard then I'm sure he wouldn't have been as nice. At the end of the day when people are desperate to feed kids they do what they gotta do regardless if I or anybody else thinks it's right or wrong

Allinall

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

That must open up another question. If a person is doing it legitimately to feed themselves or family and get convicted they get a criminal record and therefore are a criminal? !

You can't shoplift legitimately.

It's always illegal.

However, judges can apply the probation act if there are genuine mitigating circumstances and the person won't have a criminal record.

osarusan

Given the social welfare safety net in Ireland, if anybody is reduced to stealing for their starving family, the real issue would be what has happened regarding the avenues and resources that are available to them.

Junkyard Dog

I used work in a big superstore in an urban area that shall remain nameless. I did a bit of security work for them and because the shop was so big we often had to stop shoplifters. 95% of them were just your bog standard scrote but every so often you'd stop someone that was just stealing because they or their family were hungry. It was fairly obvious even if they didn't say. It was heartbreaking! I saw many a "hard as nails" security man reduced to tears and I'm not ashamed to say I shed some myself.
Obviously we couldn't do it every time but we used try to buy the food they had taken and we'd give it to them in a bag when they eventually were let go.

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

so just the fact of being convicted means that the person that carried it out, out of desperation gets convicted and is left with a criminal record? - meaning that if they did wanted to work or adopt or do something else would be hindered because they have a criminal record.. and more than likely on top of it all would have their name splashed in the local papers.

That must open up another question. If a person is doing it legitimately to feed themselves or family and get convicted they get a criminal record and therefore are a criminal? !

Well, it is a crime and they are guilty of it. The compassion should be in how the courts deal with it.

What your proposing is to make shoplifting legal for those in genuine need. Not a very workable proposition.

ohnonotgmail

Candie wrote: »

Well, it is a crime and they are guilty of it. The compassion should be in how the courts deal with it.

What your proposing is to make shoplifting legal for those in genuine need. Not a very workable proposition.

the italians have adopted it. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36190557

piplip87

Andy From Sligo wrote:

What a terrible indictment that in this day and age in first world countries that food banks even have to be in existence!

I wonder if she had enough cigarettes to get through the week.

At the end of the day in Ireland and the UK you are given enough money to feed you and your kids. Poor decisions with that money is what leads to people visiting food banks.

SEPT 23 1989

no need to be stealing food when you have the SVdeP throwing around food hampers and Dunnes vouchers like confetti