Since police have been granted the power to fine shoplifters immediately upon being caught at the start of 2022, almost 600 people have received on-the-spot fines.
While all physical forms of theft have declined sharply in recent years, the number of shoplifting incidents has for a decade hovered around 22,000 a year, with the exception of the months during the pandemic when many shops were closed.
Yet Belgium's commercial and trade federation Comeos noted that since the pandemic a 15% increase in the number of cases has been recorded. The federation's spokesperson Martin Gerard told The Brussels Times that this number will be greater in reality, as many offences weren't reported due to the administrative process involved.
"Shoplifting remains a scourge. Unlike other forms of theft, the annual number of arrests is not decreasing. The loss of turnover per year for shopkeepers is estimated at more than a billion euros. It is not only the shopkeeper who suffers but all citizens. After all, those losses are factored into prices," said Justice Minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne.
Since 1 January 2022, police officers can immediately fine shoplifters who are caught red-handed up to €350, depending on what was stolen. The aim of this new method was to tackle the impunity of shoplifting as it is largely considered a "petty crime."
Digital reporting system needed
In the 18 months since the introduction of this policy, 596 such fines have already been imposed. More than half of those fines were issued in the last six months.
Last year, Limburg and Antwerp in particular led the way with the system, but it is now becoming established in other regions as well.
A police officer shows a fine and an electronic payment terminal as part of a new method to tackle shoplifting. Credit: Belga/ Maaike Thijsens
The offender can pay a fine immediately via a QR code, payment terminal or bank transfer within 15 days, and must also compensate the shopkeeper for any damages. This way, the case is settled quickly and no one has to appear in court unless the person doesn't pay the fine.
Comeos has long called for an immediate and clear signal to be given to offenders and welcomed the Immediate Amicable Settlement (OMS). However, it stressed that a system where theft and other crimes can be reported entirely digitally is needed.
"That way, clearer figures would be available. Today, people have to call the police or go to the police station to make a report, which is often too high a threshold resulting in a low willingness to report."
Van Quickenborne has urged shopkeepers to always call the police immediately if they catch a thief. "Without a known offender, of course, no on-the-spot fine can be imposed and those identified afterwards will receive an ordinary, amicable settlement or a summons to appear in court," slowing down the process.
