First time caught shoplifting, not first time I have done it.

[Guest]

I wasn't arrested and now I am at home. The police show up and make me pay the goods and that is all, I will leave in a week so I am scared if they come during that period of time.

 

 

 

As I said this I did it yesterday too but that's all. I honestly think that if they realise what happend yesterday they have already send the police to take me but I don't know how it's works. and I am just freaking out and i don't think i will be able to sleep

well, if thats it, then there shldn't be a prob re leaving. if they come again then you'll know.

not sure what you mean re the second para.

 

see, a means to an end.

[Robert1809]

I was trying to make you understand that I have noone else to ask this. As I said I am scary if the police come or if they try to contact me and they cannot and I find myself with some kind of debt.

[dx100uk]

debt is not a criminal offence in the uk.

 

I think its safe to say that you are not of uk origin

and perhaps come from a country whereby such actions like those that you done are not as lightly looked upon there as they are here?

 

however I can see that you've been reading numerous other like threads here on cag .....

so must have a reasonable idea which confirms our postings and theories tonight to you.....

 

so stating you have no-one else to ask...is not quite right...

you can see from the threads you've read that generally ...you've no real issue.........

 

you stole something else, for whatever reason, that was worth more than £100..thats not been detected to date

and you are scared this could escalate whilst you are away in your home country..shall we speculate..

 

well the good news is we don't arrest or detail criminals for such things even if it did get to court in your absence when you return through our customs.

 

we are not a totalitarian state.

 

forget about it

 

go live your life

 

but don't shoplift

 

certain counties choppy hands off for that...

 

we don't.

 

dx

[Robert1809]

Again thank you for your answer and no, I am not from the UK​.

 

 

I've been reading other treats in here but I cannot see the amount where you get criminal records or what happen if they cannot contact you once you leave.

[dx100uk]

panic over nothing.

 

 

 

 

dx

[Robert1809]

I check for example this two post:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?452118-Caught-shoplifting-this-is-killing-me-inside.-Please-help-me.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?442825-Got-caught-stealing-at-boots-and-sent-to-custody-police

 

And I read that they get criminal records and the police went to their home.

That is why I am freaking out.

Also the university policy stuff and being spelled it's killing me.

 

I won't be able to work if I get criminal records or something like that.

 

It is not about a debt with a bank it is about a debt with the state that I won't have notice about.

[unclebulgaria67]

Suggest that you get on with your studies at University and stop worrying about this. Just don't do it again.

 

Most thefts from shops are dealt with on a civil basis and the Police are not involved. The Police were only involved at the beginning to ensure you were warned about your behaviour and so you paid for the goods.

 

Running away won't help you.

[Robert1809]

I am not running away, I just get a job in a different country and I need to go there.

 

If I am applying for a job,

do I need to state this in my criminal records?

The police took my name and my ID but they didn't make me pay any fine only the goods

[unclebulgaria67]

No criminal conviction will be on your record for this incident, so no need to disclose.

 

What about your University fees ?

If you stop attending,

you will still be liable for fees and you will be chased for any debt.

 

 

Suggest you speak to the University about leaving the course.

[Robert1809]

I am not leaving the university either, it is my placement work

[unclebulgaria67]

Ok, but you have to ask yourself the question as to whether you are leaving the placement because of this shoplifting or because you can't really afford the cost of living, so would be leaving the UK anyway.

 

If you leave the UK, no criminal conviction will be obtained in your absence for such an offence and no one will contact you about it abroad. Obviously if it were something much more serious then it would be followed up, but not shoplifting.

[Robert1809]

I get this placement a month ago so no shoplifthing is not the reason why i am leaving

[Robert1809]

I don't know, I am freaking out.

I even think on going back and pay because I don't want to have criminal records.

 

But they ban my from the shop so..

. I learn my lesson and it won't happen again

 

I am feeling extremely bad right now.

 

I being having depresion for a while and yesterday I saw that as a way to escape, I don't know...

Edited May 14, 2017 by Robert1809

[silverfox1961]

Hi and a welcome from me. Sorry I was not here yesterday to assist the best I can.

 

Firstly, stop stealing. Now that is out of the way, it would help us to help you if you named the last store where you were caught, this would give us an idea of what WILL happen, not what may happen. there are two major civil recovery firms out there, the biggest being RLP and the other being DWF.

 

As for the police involvement, they would have taken your details as part of the process. They will add these details to the national database but that is just for record keeping and won't affect any travel you make. You will not get arrested at an airport and we have never heard of anyone being arrested at an airport. What happens with the database is that if you get caught doing something illegal, this event may be brought up. This is not to scare you, just to explain what MAY happen.

 

If the security staff or the civil recovery company contacted your uni, they would be in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 so any suggestion by them to the contrary is a lie. They say these things to scare you. Works, doesn't it!

 

I assume you gave the police and security staff your UK address. Tht is the address that will be written to. If you have included a phone number, they may try and harass you over the phone. Don't fall for it.

We, on CAG do not approve of shoplifting-ever but equally we don't approve of companies such as the ones listed above chasing people with spurious claims which have no lawful standing. You will get letters, a lot of them and then a debt collection agency will chase. Just ignore them. The only way anyone can get extra money from you is by taking CIVIL, not CRIMINAL action against you in the courts. RLP and DWF cannot do this. Only the store can begin action but because it will cost them more than they could ever hope to recover, they don't.

 

As for the previous thefts, this is a bit of a grey area. Would store security staff have the time to scroll through the previous 30 days store video to try and spot you committing a crime with no idea of what time you did so, I don't think they would. It is time consuming for starters. They only store 30 days of recordings (except evidential tapes) so previous thefts would be missed.

 

If you are having money problems, speak to one of the free debt helplines out there. Please don't make our time wasted by stealing again.

[Robert1809]

It was I'm ASDA London.

I can ensure you it's not going to happen again.

 

 

The supermarket staff didn't worried about my current location as I told her I'm going to leave the country.

 

 

Past shoplifting happen the day before yesterday so I am scared as she threats me looking to one particular good

[silverfox1961]

Don't worry about threats. They are just that. they do this purely to scare you. As it is ASDA, it is likely they use RLP so if you get any letters from them just ignore them but read them in context. They rarely say WILL, only MAY. the only difference to that is when they state that further action will be considered. What further action? More letters of course.

[Robert1809]

I don't know how they could possibly do that because they didn't took my address only my name and a picture of me.

On the other hand the police took all my data so I don't know if they could share.

 

 

As I said I am not going to do it again

but I find m self in a terrific situation and frightened that police will appear

or I will get a notification after my departure

and I will find my self with criminal records without me knowing.

I don't know what to do next and I cannot focus in my exams.

 

I think I didn't say it but yesterday's ​good value were below 25.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Robert1809

[unclebulgaria67]

It won't happen. Neither ASDA or the Police are going to waste time and money on dealing with this again.

 

Suggest you forget about this as you seem to be suffering from anxiety. Go out for a long walk and if you are struggling health wise next week then see a Doctor.

[silverfox1961]

Ah! That puts a different spin on things. As ASDA didn't take your details apart from your name and a picture, no civil recovery will be involved. You paid for the goods and that's it, finished, gone, nothing more to be worried over.

[Robert1809]

Thank you both for your response.

But if they find something in the tapes wouldn't they contact my uni for knowing my name is something?

 

 

I think the staff refused to go further because I was to nervous to explain my self property and they just put in on the hands of the police and if they have something else against me the police should already show up.

 

 

As I said I cannot focus neither yesterday nor today I was walking for two hours this morning and I am still afraid the police show up and every time I listen a door opening in my building I freak out.

 

Sorry for the several post I just wanted to be sure that I am not going to be expelled or something else.

[silverfox1961]

Data protection in the UK is very strict. IF anyone was to attempt to contact you through the uni, they are not allowed to say for what reason they are calling. I cannot see you being expelled at all so while I agree it is good to think of the consequences, you are just adding more stress to your already stressful situation.

 

Try and get on with your life. If you feel the need, go and see a doctor. Your uni should be able to give you a local doctors name if you don't have one already. Doctors must treat everything you say in confidence unless they think your life may be at risk. You may need a short course of anti depressants just to get you through the next few weeks.

[Robert1809]

So there is no way that they can contact me through the uni or the police?

That will at least give me a break.

 

 

ASDA staff make my sign a paper with my name on it whewsaid that she told me is for me being banned on the supermarket.

 

As I said if someone is reading this use my case as example of something you shouldn't do even when you are depressed, there is no benefit on shoplifting.

 

Thank you all for the advice and your time and support.

[Robert1809]

I've just remembered that ASDA staff took my ID and drive license, but as a foreign ID, my current home doesn't appear. They only ask me for my name anyway to complete that sheet and when ask me about my adress laught on me because I cannot pronounce it properly and told me to forget about saying anything else.

 

Will that change my current situation or not?

[unclebulgaria67]

Yes, they will have no way of knowing where you are and have no way of tracing you.

 

They have probably forgotten about it already.

 

Just don't go back into the store.

[dx100uk]

being arrest for shop lifting at asda...no

being stopped at customs ..no..

 

 

go enjoy your life

stop worrying.