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Aged Concern has slammed a retailer for posting CCTV footage on Facebook of an elderly customer allegedly shoplifting.
Bin Inn Stanmore Rd owner Patrick Cui posted the video last Thursday morning which shows the woman, who looks to be aged in her 70s, taking a $14 bar of Forage-brand shampoo off a shelf and putting it in her handbag.
She then goes to the counter and pays for some biscuits she has in her hand, but not the shampoo in her bag.
The woman’s face was unblurred and clearly visible.
Cui captioned his video with a simple “Wow”.
The video was seen and shared widely, with more than 200 comments and 400 reactions on Facebook. Several comments satirically call the woman a “usual suspect”.
Cui deleted the video after he said the woman returned to the store on Friday. She apologised, paid $14 and offered an extra $20, Cui said, which he declined.
He said she did not mention whether the video had prompted her to return to pay for the item.
Age Concern Canterbury chief executive Greta Bond said posting the CCTV footage amounted to naming and shaming the woman, without considering the circumstances.
“Naming and shaming people suspected of shoplifting on social media breaches their right to privacy, and also condemns them in the court of public opinion without considering their circumstances, their situation, or their needs,” she said.
“I appreciate that shop owners have to be vigilant against shoplifting, but disagree with vigilante justice, whether a suspected shoplifter is old or young.”
But Cui is standing by his actions.
The video was posted to show his customers and the wider community what he regularly faces. He also displays photographs of suspected shoplifters clipped from security footage inside his shop.
He decided to post the video because he was “shocked” the woman was a regular customer.
“I treat my customers like friends. When it’s somebody you know, your good friend for many years, and then they shoot you in the back, that's the same feeling.
“To be honest, I’m just tired of dealing with shoplifting and antisocial things like that. I’m sick of it. Normally I won’t just post this, but you know, after many, many years I'm just sick of it, I’ve had enough, so I will show the whole community what happens in our local shops.”
Cui said he did not expect any criticism for posting the video. He has had support from his customers and social media users.
Before posting the video, Cui considered whether it would be too harsh on the woman. Asked by The Star if he had considered whether she could have been suffering from cognitive difficulties, given her age, he responded: “I just tell myself, like, she didn’t care, so why should we care? She saw the camera before she was doing it, which means she didn’t care, so I just keep telling myself she didn’t.”
Cui also reported the incident to police. But he withdrew the complaint when the woman returned and paid for the shampoo.
Lawyer Kathryn Dalziel said posting a video of an alleged shoplifting and identifying the suspect ran the risk of defamation, harassment, and a potential breach of privacy.
“I wouldn’t recommend to anybody to put something like that on the internet. I appreciate that shoplifting’s a really significant and serious issue for shops, but I do think that they’ve just got to deal with these matters through the police,”
she said.