Police must probe claims

• A closer look at the issue, however, suggests that there is an organised gang of criminals out to fleece supermarkets by stealing goods in transit to the shelves.
• The group, in collusion with warehouses and retail outlet workers, intercepts stock in transit and diverts it to godowns run by the syndicates from where the products are gradually offloaded to unsuspecting buyers.
• Irrespective of why the supermarkets have chosen to flag the growing incidence of shrinkage, including the pettier aspect of shoplifting and price tag substitution, it behoves the police and other law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the claims.

The retail sector in Kenya says it is losing up to Sh3 billion through theft perpetrated by employees and organised gangs that hijack truckloads of stock in transit.

But the police department has now turned the issue on its end, arguing that the supermarkets could be exaggerating the extent of the crime for ulterior motives such as tax evasion or even layoffs.

A closer look at the issue, however, suggests that there is an organised gang of criminals out to fleece supermarkets by stealing goods in transit to the shelves.

The group, in collusion with warehouses and retail outlet workers, intercepts stock in transit and diverts it to godowns run by the syndicates from where the products are gradually offloaded to unsuspecting buyers.

Supermarkets say they have even lost lorries which it is safe to imagine are either cannibalised into parts to feed the second- hand car market or are sold in whole to neighbouring countries.

Irrespective of why the supermarkets have chosen to flag the growing incidence of shrinkage, including the pettier aspect of shoplifting and price tag substitution, it behoves the police and other law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the claims.

Dismissing them outrightly is just the kind of attitude that would be music to the ears of criminal gangs. Such investigations could also just help call the supermarkets’ bluff, should the claims be found to be aimed at facilitating other economic crimes.