Charging in Rostock: Escape ends for women in the fall of the stairs!

Charging in Rostock: Escape ends for women in the fall of the stairs!

In the Rostock Kröpeliner-Tor-Center, an incident occurred today that causes excitement in the local press. According to NDR was already known to the police, from the shop-person of the shopping center. The suspect had tried to steal items worth several hundred euros and wanted to flee the escalator. An unfortunate incident occurred: the man intercepted a 73-year-old woman who was slightly injured in her fall. However, the security service was able to stop the perpetrator quickly and hand over to the police.

The criminal police are now investigating the suspicion of the predatory theft. It is particularly noteworthy that such incidents increase in the region. The retail figures show that theft has risen rapidly since the end of the Corona pandemic. Deutschlandfunk reports that the number of indicators for shop theft in 2023 was about 426,000. Purchasing power and the return of professional thieves don't make it easy for many retailers.

another example from Rostock

Already on May 27, 2025, less than three weeks before the incident in the Kröpelin Tor Center, a 19-year-old man from Ukraine was caught in a food market in the Kröpeliner Tor district. According to Presseportal he had taken bakedware and consumed without payment. After a previously pronounced house ban, he wanted to go back to the market and tried to take the employees physically when they wanted to prevent him from doing so. Fortunately, there was no injured person, and the suspect was custody to prevent further crimes.

The effects of shoplifting

The partly escalating thefts represent a serious challenge for retail. In 2022, the inventory losses amounted to a total of 4.6 billion euros, and in 2023 they rose to 4.8 billion euros. Deutschlandfunk estimates that goods are stolen at every sales day. Interestingly, about half of these thefts remain undetected, which also tightens the situation for retail.

The prevention measures have therefore become an important topic. Security labels, surveillance cameras and the targeted personnel deployment are common means of preventing shop theft. In addition, the sentence in Germany is clearly regulated in shoplifting: from fines to prison terms, depending on the severity of the crime.

The incidents in Rostock reflect what is also observed elsewhere: the location in the retail landscape remains tense and the comeback operations for safety in shops are in full swing. It remains to be hoped that such information and actions will bear fruit and improve the safety of shopping experiences for all customers.