Shoplifting cases in Denmark are set to hit close to 28,000 this year, a 13% rise year-on-year, new data from De Samvirkende Købmænd (DSK), the Danish association of cooperative retailers, has found.
According to DSK, shoplifting incidents have surged by more than 60% over the past two years.
At the same time, DSK's study found that one in ten Danes believe that shoplifting can be justified under certain circumstances, while four in ten do not entirely 'reject' the practice, depending on the situation.
This is due to a 'shift in legal morality', a separate study by Trygfonden, a Danish NGO, found earlier this year – a position that is backed up by DSK's figures.
'A Broader Acceptance'
"We are facing a challenge that is not only about shoplifting as such, but also about a broader acceptance of shoplifting and pickpocketing in society," commented Jannick Nytoft, CEO of DSK.
"Unfortunately, there has been a significant shift in the tolerance of this form of crime to a greater extent than before."
A survey carried out by DSK in October found that 39% of Danes are not entirely opposed to shoplifting, a sentiment that Nytoft describes as "completely wrong", adding that such attitudes are placing a heavy financial burden on retailers, who are already grappling with increasing crime rates.
Normalisation Of Shoplifting
The normalisation of shoplifting as less severe than other forms of crime could explain its growing prevalence, DSK notes.
Nytoft calls for urgent action to address this moral and practical challenge, stressing the need to reinforce ethical norms and protect businesses from the economic strain caused by theft.
