Shoplifters are out in full force around Central Otago at the moment, according to local police.

Senior Constable Graham Perkins, of Alexandra Police, said expensive cuts of meat in particular were quite popular items for people to steal - everything from the Christmas ham to trays of rib eye steaks.

“They’ll put them down the trousers, in the babies pram, but all are caught on camera.”

He said the bold ones even filled an entire trolley of groceries and just headed straight out the door with them - and often there was nothing staff could do.

“Staff can’t just step in because it leaves them open to injury,” he said.

At this time of year, with the large transient population, there was an increase in shoplifting in both Alexandra and Cromwell.

“Some are prolific shoplifters and they will go right around the country doing it,”  he said.

Specifically targeting those ‘big ticket’ items in supermarkets, he said most stores now had security cameras at the end of each aisle so they were able to identify the offenders.

They would then be trespassed from the shop and prosecuted - pointing out that people could be charged with theft even if they were casually walking around the shop eating food they haven’t yet paid for.

“It’s the intent that’s the problem.”  

Police had noticed it becoming more of a problem leading up to Christmas, and it was right across the board, including hardware stores with tools disappearing out the door as well.

“Nobody’s immune to it,” he said.