Alleged shoplifter attacks branch manager with pepper spray in Vienna!

Alleged shoplifter attacks branch manager with pepper spray in Vienna!

In a grocery store in Vienna-Landstrasse, an incident occurred on Thursday, which illustrates the growing problems of shoplifting in Austria. As vienna.at , the branch manager of the business was attempted to stop a suspected loading thief.

The incident began when the business employee noted that a man repeatedly entered the branch and left business without purchases. On Thursday, the man behaved again suspiciously. The branch manager decided to address him in the cash register area. Suddenly the perpetrator pulled pepper spray and sprayed this in the face of the branch manager before he fled in an unknown direction. The oppressed branch manager immediately received medical care and was taken to the hospital. The investigation against the unknown perpetrator continues to run.

increased violence in shoplifting

A similar incident occurred in the 14th district of Vienna on July 23, 2024, where a man put several foods in his backpack and tried to pass the cash register without paying. Here, too, a 32-year-old employee confronted the perpetrator, who then also attacked and fled her with pepper spray. The police were informed, but could not capture the perpetrator. The employee also received medical treatment and was taken to the hospital, such as meinbezirk.at

growing problem of shoplifting

These incidents throw a light on the current challenges in retail. According to a security study by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, inpatient trade in Austria suffers damage of around 500 million euros annually from shoplifting. In a survey, 82 % of the dealers stated that they have already been victims of crime. It is particularly alarming that 40 % of these dealers were repeatedly affected, as from the results that can be removed from the results, the bmi.gv.at

The most common crimes in inpatient retail are shoplifting, which affect 89 % of the retailers surveyed. It can be seen that prevention measures such as the training of employees (63 %) or the implementation of video surveillance (59 %) are also necessary to increase security and prevent further incidents.