Shoplifting in San Francisco is so out of control that retailers are closing stores | The Independent

Among the many problems plaguing San Francisco in recent years, business leaders say one has become so commonplace that residents barely notice it: shoplifting.

Walgreens says petty theft in the city has gotten so out of control that it’s had to close 17 of its stores. CVS has told its employees not to intervene because the thieves so often attack them, calling San Francisco “one of the epicenters of organized retail crime.”

“We’ve had incidents where our security officers are assaulted on a pretty regular basis in San Francisco,” Brendan Dugan, head of CVS’ retail crime division, said at a 13 May hearing with city officials, according to a New York Times report.

Police agree that the stealing has become endemic.“

The one trend we are seeing is more violence and escalating – and much more bold,” Commander Raj Vaswani of the San Francisco Police Department said at the hearing. “We see a lot of repeat offenders.”

Source: Shoplifting in San Francisco is so out of control that retailers are closing stores | The Independent

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