A fed up Adelaide supermarket owner’s decision to publish CCTV footage of a group of kids allegedly shoplifting from his store has sparked backlash.
IGA Elizabeth Downs, in the northern suburbs of the SA capital, shared the CCTV footage to its Facebook page on Friday – with some viewers praising the move but others claiming ‘naming-and-shaming’ children should be off-limits.
In the video, which has since been taken down, two kids could be seen stuffing shopping items down their pants while a third stood nearby holding a packet of noodles apparently as a distraction.
The footage shown on news broadcasts blurred the children’s faces, but they were reportedly visible in the original post by the store’s owner.
‘Can parents of these kids teach them not to steal?’ the store owners wrote in a caption alongside the video.
‘Name-and-shame them.’
While many agreed with the owner’s decision to post the footage to discourage other offenders and teach the culprits a lesson, others argued the move was irresponsible.
South Australia’s acting commissioner for children and young people Mimi Crowe told Seven News publicly calling out children was ‘not only a breach of privacy, it’s ineffective’.
CCTV footage, since removed from the store’s Facebook page, depicted the shoplifters stuffing grocery items into their pants
Pictured is the standalone child who appeared to study noodles in an attempted distraction while the two remaining kids stole items from the shelves
Ms Crowe argued a different approach would be more effective in minimising the store’s rate of theft.
‘Children need support, not humiliation.’
It is not the first time the store has shared vision of alleged young offenders.
In June last year, it posted a CCTV screenshot of a group of kids alongside a caption which read: ‘Gang of Shop Lifters. Parents [please] contact in at IGA Elizabeth Downs. Otherwise, we go to police with video recording.
‘They all stole around $100 worth of groceries.’
The store alleged it was the third time the group of kids had done so.
Five months later, the store posted an image of two young boys whose faces were clearly identifiable and alleged they had attempted to steal before shattering a window during a confrontation with staff.
‘They tried to steal from [the] store and when staff stopped them they kicked the glass. [Please] help us to find these two boys culprits.
‘Reported to police for theft and property damage. Name them, shame them.’
IGA Elizabeth Downs has since removed the video, but images involving kids who were accused of misconduct at the store remain visible
Unlike the most recent CCTV footage, the two earlier posts remain visible online.
‘You shouldn’t be posting photos of children! You are not judge and jury!’ one user wrote in response a post shared in June.
Then, as now, however, the majority of viewers supported the store’s decision.
‘I’d be taking their photos and enlarging them and putting them at the front of the store for everyone to see, name and shame,’ a man said in response to the June incident.
In response to the October post, one woman said: ‘I’m all for naming and shaming. These kids need to be humiliated.
‘Let them feel ashamed and embarrassed by their actions.
‘That’s the problem these days. It’s too soft. That’s why they get away with it.’
IGA Elizabeth Downs and IGA Australia did not respond to Daily Mail Australia’s request for comment.
It is understood no charges have been laid.
A South Australia Police spokesperson said they were not aware of the incident but urged anyone involved or who witnesses similar incidents to contact them.
