Aggressive shoplifter in Gifhorn: Police catch 39-year-old!

Aggressive shoplifter in Gifhorn: Police catch 39-year-old!

An incident in Gifhorn recently caused a stir. On June 20, 2025, the police received an incident report from a discount store on Braunschweiger Strasse, where a 39-year-old man was suspected of shoplifting. How regionalheute.de Reportedly, the suspect not only behaved aggressively towards the employees, but also insulted a market employee. The police found the man in the discount store's warehouse, where he was already known and did not hold back from expressing his unfriendliness.

As part of the investigation, criminal proceedings were initiated for shoplifting and insults. The police then expelled the man from the market, which he finally complied with after repeated requests. But that wasn't the end of the matter: the 39-year-old later returned to the discount store, which in turn brought the officials to the scene. This time the police took him into custody. Even during this measure, he did not refrain from insulting the police officers. He was finally released from custody late in the evening.

The problem of shoplifting

Shoplifting is a serious problem that costs retailers in Germany billions every year. How on fachanwalt.de is declared, this is a criminal offense that falls under Section 242 of the Criminal Code. Theft occurs when someone intends to unlawfully claim someone else's movable property as their own. This legal text is crucial because even attempting to steal is a punishable offense.

Especially in times of increasing shoplifting, it becomes clear that security precautions such as surveillance cameras and security personnel are not enough to prevent the crimes. This is also confirmed by the German Trade Association (HDE), which states that the number of shoplifting cases increased by over 23 percent to over 426,000 cases in 2023. These are alarming figures that make it clear that there is a need for action. Loud retail.de The HDE estimates that many such acts are not even reported to the police and that there is a high number of unreported cases.

Consequences for perpetrators and trade

While individual perpetrators can often get away with lesser penalties, the problem is particularly acute in the case of more serious and gang-organized thefts. The HDE therefore calls for more consistent prosecution of the perpetrators and more intensive cooperation between the police and public prosecutors. The potential legal consequences for shoplifting should not be neglected either: in addition to a fine, you can also face an entry in your criminal record, which can have an impact on your future career.

The actions and their background show the complexity of the topic. In a society where theft of food or other low-value goods is often viewed as unavoidable, the question arises as to responsibility and the right measures to sustainably address this problem.