European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 30, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Uni Security continued from Page 17 enforcement while others Are family members who receive special training in spotting shoplifters. I Don t think anybody has invented a new Way to steal Quot Mineheart pointed out. Even children Are sometimes used to assist in their parents stealing. Michael Prine Art cafes safety and Security assistant for the Southern Bavaria Region recalled one Case in which a Mother would touch the item she wanted her son to shoplift As she walked by it. Quot she would physically touch it and walk away and the boy would come and take it Quot Prine said. Before cafes personnel can take any action against a shoplifter Mineheart said they have to be "100 percent Quot certain that a customer actually concealed the merchandise. ,. If that has been established Security personnel then keep the customer under surveillance and wait for him to leave the store without paying. Quot we do everything we can to prove that the customer put it Back a said Robert Taylor cafes safety and Security manager for the Southern Bavaria Region. Quot that s part of being 100 percent sure that a theft took place Quot Taylor said. An example of this would be checking a dressing room after a potential shoplifter has been in there Security personnel look to see if missing clothes were simply not returned to the shelves. Sometimes however they find removed Price tags indicating that someone might have put on the new clothes and walked out with them. Another Way cafes combats shoplifting is its automated refund fraud indicator system. While cafes permits refunds without receipts Arris documents All such refunds of $25 or More by taking Down the name and social Security number of the customer. Questionable refund trends noted by Arris often Lead Security personnel straight to shoplifters. A a although it May appear that cafes suffers from shoplifting paranoia officials say the majority of its customers Are honest paying ones. Unlike Many other civilian department stores cafes does t put shoplifting deterrence signs in its dressing rooms that sometimes gives the impression that All customers Are potential shoplifters. A Quot the last thing cafes wants to do is offend its customers Quot said Ward Hawley chief of cafes safety and Security Europe Field office in Birndorf Germany. Quot not everybody is a Crook. Quot our Hope is to keep our customers  cafes Europa has a shoplifting hot Lino far customers to Call 24 hours a Day seven Days a a week. The number is civilian 0911 -6099-790, or Dan 460-3790. Before the new surveillance system was installed in the Furth store personnel observed checkout counters through a Riv of smoked Glass mirrors in the ceiling. Cafes keeps an Eye on shoplifting losses tight above Security cameras like this one resembling a Light fixture often blend into environment. A closer look reveals a Lens inside. By Jon Connor staff writer he next time you re browsing through a Post or base Exchange the Odds Are pretty Good that someone nearby is attempting to shoplift. It s a situation that the army and air Force Exchange service in Europe is keenly a Yare of. Its losses to shoplifting could be As High As $5.5 million a year. In 1993,1,871 people a military personnel department of defense civilians and family members of both a were caught stealing from cafes Europe stores. The Dollar amount resulting from these apprehensions was $199,000. Added to that amount Are Quot unobserved Quot thefts. These Are thefts detected through daily turn ins of removed Price tags or items like empty watch boxes found in a store said Ward Hawley who Heads cafes safety and Security Field office for Europe. It was estimated that unobserved shoplifting was $363,000 in 1993, making the combined year s total $562,000.using the Industry Standard of 10 for figuring actual losses cafes then multiplies the total of recovered goods and unobserved thefts by 10 to get a Quot potential Quot shoplifting loss of about $5.5 million for cafes Europe. Quot it could be lower because of our clientele Quot said. Hawley who suggests a multiplication Factor of five was probably More realistic for cafes. Quot we have a higher class of  but despite a predominantly working clientele comprised of defense department personnel some people just can t resist shoplifting. Quot it s Opportunity a that s the Bottom line Quot Hawley said. Quot it All boils Down to  Hawley said those who saw an Opportunity to steal in. The past include chaplains general officers Provost marshals and children. A. Quot they thought that they could get it for nothing Quot Hawley said. A 18 the stars and stripes wednesday november 30, 1994 a Good example Hawley said is the former acting Secretary of the army John w. Shannon who in september 1993 admitted shoplifting women a clothing from a Post Exchange at fort myer va., the previous month. Quot a. A a a a a Quot. A a. A Shannon who stole a Blouse and skirt valued at $30, was placed in a pretrial diversion program designed for first time offenders who steal items Worth less than $125. A breakdown of those caught in 1993 shows 68. Percent were defense department civilians and family members 22 percent military personnel and the rest composed of local and foreign nationals and trespassers Hawley reasoned civilians and family members Are the main culprits because Quot they have More time to . The majority of stolen goods Are concealable items Hawley said such As cosmetics compact discs video and cassette tapes arid hand held music listening devices and jewelry. A a even televisions have been taken. Cafes Quot Liberal refund policy Quot of Quot satisfaction guaranteed Quot is conducive to shoplifting Hawley said. Basically customers can return most Exchange merchandise without a receipt of Purchase said cafes Europe spokeswoman Carrie Higley Krowka. Not included under the policy Are videotapes prerecorded music and computer software which must be returned with a receipt within seven Days she said. But with other items some customers walk in pick up merchandise remove the Price tag and head straight to the refund window. Shoplifting also appears to follow a seasonal trend. While cafes Europe shoppers were caught taking $11,300 Worth of goods a month in 1993, that figure ballooned to $74,000 in december. Quot did t realize it until i was looking at those figures a couple of weeks ago Quot said Hawley. He speculated that the Christmas Holiday season with its expanded shopping hours and increased number of shoppers contribute to the Rise. The stars and stripes