A San Francisco Bay area grocery store beefed up its security measures to deter shoplifting.
The Castro Safeway installed metal security gates at its entrance, Fox Business reported.
An automatic gate closes after each person enters the store, CBS reporter Betty Yu shared on Twitter.
“Barricades also make it harder for shoplifters to make a run for it,” Yu tweeted. “Safeway also closed off an exit and blocked it with water bottles.”
Other grocery stores are following its lead. A Safeway in Vallejo added gates and closed a second entrance, Yu shared on Twitter.
In 2022, police records revealed 2,900 shoplifting were reported just in San Francisco, NBC Bay Area reported.
Fox Business Jon Brown reported:
The Bay Area, which has seen property crime rise 10.4% since last year, has also been afflicted with a spike in smash-and-grab robberies where shoplifters armed with bats and other weapons make off with thousands in merchandise from high-end stores.
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Stealing merchandise under $950 is considered a misdemeanor, meaning law enforcement officials won’t even bother investigating.
“There’s no deterrent in the state of California to discourage theft at this point,” said Mike Leininger, a retired police officer and security consultant, told NBC.
Rising crime rates have led to more than 22 stores fleeing downtown San Francisco in the past 18 months, Breitbart News reported.
WATCH — “FOR LEASE”: Closed, Vacant Businesses Line San Francisco Street as Retailers Flee:
Tiny-Remove-3734 / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX
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