A business owner helplessly watched CCTV from home as a teenager swiped vape products worth £100 from his Monifieth shop.
Arsalan Haider watched in shock as a brazen 15-year-old boy went behind the counter to bag goods from his Premier store, while others distracted his staff member.
Police Scotland confirmed the boy has now been charged and will be reported to the Youth Justice Assessor in connection with the theft.
Mr Haider said the Mortimer Drive business has suffered “ongoing problems” with shoplifters since he opened a year ago but Thursday’s incident was the worst.
CCTV footage shows the boy filling his open bag with products behind the counter.
After watching the decoy operation unfold he contacted the police.
At least £100 of stock stolen
He added: “I was disgusted by what I saw when I was watching it.
“The staff member had been asked to assist with a price check from another youngster about the price of a drink.
“This youngster seized his moment when the staff member has gone to help.
“It was a decoy operation, I suspect to give this person enough time to fill his bag.
“He is behind the counter for around 10 to 15 seconds and he has taken at least £100 of stock.
“There have been ongoing problems with shoplifting since I’ve taken over.
“You don’t want to bother the police with a chocolate bar or can of juice here and there but this was shocking.
“No fear, just to come round the counter in broad daylight to steal that level of stock.
“I contacted the police a short time after viewing what had happened.”
‘Additional staff’
Given the issues with shoplifting in the past, Mr Haider said he now has three members of staff working during the school lunch break to combat the problem.
He added: “This happened after the school day had finished.
“We’ll need to review our operation later in the day now to combat issues like this.
“During the dinner breaks we’ve got three members of staff on to try to deal with any issues with shop lifting.
“Police managed to recover some of the stock but not all of it.”
Police Scotland
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “At around 5.30pm on Thursday March 10, police were called to a premises on Mortimer Drive, Monifieth, following a reported theft.
“A 15-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the incident and will be reported to the Youth Justice Assessor. Further enquiries remain ongoing.”
