A change in legislation will crackdown on shoplifting throughout the state.
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Building and Construction Minister Sarah Courtney said the Security and Investigations Agents Amendment Bill 2018 would be debated in Parliament this week.
“The changes in legislation that we will introduce this week will make it easier for shopkeepers to be able to have their staff search bags, and we’ll also introduce a code of conduct,” she said.
Ms Courtney said shoplifting was a huge cost on retailers, costing about $200 million per year.
“The government wants to make a clear message to people in our community that this is not acceptable,” she said.
The current legislation allows for security officers to check bags, whereas the change in legislation would enable retail staff to carry out bag inspections in accordance with the Tasmanian Bag Check Code of Conduct as people exit a store.
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Venue Clothing owner Luke Dawson said it was “a good start”.
“People that are good at shoplifting know what their rights are,” he said.
He said the change in legislation would give shopkeepers an understanding of what they could do when dealing with shoplifters, and would increase their level of knowledge.
Ms Courtney said customers could still refuse bag searches.
“But clear signage when people are entering shops will ensure that they understand the rules that the shops are playing by, that shopkeepers and their staff will have the right to request that,” she said.
“We want to support our retailers as we’re going into the busy Christmas period and we want to ensure that the burden and the cost of shoplifting is not passed onto Tasmanians.”