Difference between revisions of "Shoplifting"

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==What is shoplifting?==

Shoplifting is stealing something from a store. You shoplift if you intend to take something that doesn’t belong to you from a store without paying for it, and you do so, or try to.

Shoplifting is stealing something from a store, which is a criminal offense. You shoplift if you intend to take something that doesn’t belong to you from a store without paying for it, and you do so, or try to.

If you ~~do that~~, ~~the~~ store security officer may stop you and call the police. You may be arrested ~~and~~ taken to the police station ~~to be searched~~, ~~fingerprinted~~, ~~and photographed~~. The police will give you a date when you must go to court.

If you shoplift, a store security officer may stop you and call the police. You may be arrested, taken to the police station, and charged with a crime. The actual charge depends on the value of what you stole. If it’s $5000 or less, the charge is “Theft under $5000”. If the value is over $5000, the charge is “Theft over $5000”. The police will search, fingerprint, and photograph you. And they will give you a date when you must go to court.

==What must the prosecutor prove to convict you? What can you do?==

In court, the prosecutor, also called the ~~crown counsel~~ (Crown), must prove beyond a reasonable doubt where and when the shoplifting happened. The Crown must also prove that you:

In court, the prosecutor, also called the Crown Counsel (Crown), must prove beyond a reasonable doubt where and when the shoplifting happened. The Crown must also prove that you:

*are the person who committed the crime,

*intended to take the item without paying for it, and

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The legal issues for this offense can be complex and a conviction can seriously harm you. If you are charged with this offense, you should talk to a lawyer.

==Shoplifting and scary notices==

Shoplifting is a civil offense—as well as a crime. Stores are normally open to the public, but they are also private places. Store owners can stop anyone they want from entering their store (as long as they don’t violate the BC ''Human Rights Code''). For example, a store owner can stop people who have stolen from the store from entering the store again.

If store security catches you shoplifting, they may not call police right away. Instead, they may give you a “Notice Prohibiting Entry”. They may make you sign this notice. Then they will release you. They may also tell the police what happened.

The notice will say you cannot enter the store for a certain time (usually a year). It warns that if you do enter the store, you may be arrested without warrant, charged with an offence, and fined under the ''Trespass Act''. But that’s not likely. Normally, security will just stop you from entering the store or remove you from the store. Still, if you get this type of notice, you should stay away from the store for the time the notice says.

Store security may also give you a “Notice of Intended Legal Action”. It will say that the store will sue you for various expenses. You may also get a demand letter in the mail. Sometimes this comes after criminal court case is finished. The letter will demand that you pay a certain amount, about $500, for the store’s investigative and administrative costs.

A store can sue a shoplifter, but the amount of money a court would order in most cases is so low that it would almost never make sense to sue. It would cost the store much more to sue than what it could recover. So you can normally ignore these notices and demand letters. Whether you pay the amount the store demands does not affect whether the Crown charges you with shoplifting. Nor does your payment normally affect the sentence (penalty) a judge could give you, though a judge could consider it.

==Help for women==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Dial-A-Law TOC|expanded = criminal}}
 ==What is shoplifting?==
-Shoplifting is stealing something from a store. You shoplift if you intend to take something that doesn’t belong to you from a store without paying for it, and you do so, or try to.
+Shoplifting is stealing something from a store, which is a criminal offense. You shoplift if you intend to take something that doesn’t belong to you from a store without paying for it, and you do so, or try to.
-If you do that, the store security officer may stop you and call the police. You may be arrested and taken to the police station to be searched, fingerprinted, and photographed. The police will give you a date when you must go to court.
+If you shoplift, a store security officer may stop you and call the police. You may be arrested, taken to the police station, and charged with a crime. The actual charge depends on the value of what you stole. If it’s $5000 or less, the charge is “Theft under $5000”. If the value is over $5000, the charge is “Theft over $5000”. The police will search, fingerprint, and photograph you. And they will give you a date when you must go to court.
 ==What must the prosecutor prove to convict you? What can you do?==
-In court, the prosecutor, also called the crown counsel (Crown), must prove beyond a reasonable doubt where and when the shoplifting happened. The Crown must also prove that you:
+In court, the prosecutor, also called the Crown Counsel (Crown), must prove beyond a reasonable doubt where and when the shoplifting happened. The Crown must also prove that you:
 *are the person who committed the crime,
 *intended to take the item without paying for it, and
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 The legal issues for this offense can be complex and a conviction can seriously harm you. If you are charged with this offense, you should talk to a lawyer.
+==Shoplifting and scary notices==
+Shoplifting is a civil offense—as well as a crime. Stores are normally open to the public, but they are also private places. Store owners can stop anyone they want from entering their store (as long as they don’t violate the BC ''Human Rights Code''). For example, a store owner can stop people who have stolen from the store from entering the store again.
+If store security catches you shoplifting, they may not call police right away. Instead, they may give you a “Notice Prohibiting Entry”. They may make you sign this notice. Then they will release you. They may also tell the police what happened.
+The notice will say you cannot enter the store for a certain time (usually a year). It warns that if you do enter the store, you may be arrested without warrant, charged with an offence, and fined under the ''Trespass Act''. But that’s not likely. Normally, security will just stop you from entering the store or remove you from the store. Still, if you get this type of notice, you should stay away from the store for the time the notice says.
+Store security may also give you a “Notice of Intended Legal Action”. It will say that the store will sue you for various expenses. You may also get a demand letter in the mail. Sometimes this comes after criminal court case is finished. The letter will demand that you pay a certain amount, about $500, for the store’s investigative and administrative costs.
+A store can sue a shoplifter, but the amount of money a court would order in most cases is so low that it would almost never make sense to sue. It would cost the store much more to sue than what it could recover. So you can normally ignore these notices and demand letters. Whether you pay the amount the store demands does not affect whether the Crown charges you with shoplifting. Nor does your payment normally affect the sentence (penalty) a judge could give you, though a judge could consider it.
 ==Help for women==

Difference between revisions of "Shoplifting"

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