Failing economy is part of the problem.
This is happening everywhere.
Shoplifting,Purse snatching etc.
I have seen many times of woman not being careful of their
pocketbook in the cart.
They walk up to the cart,the person not paying any attention as she looks on the shelf for the itmem that she wants.
In the meantime,the person open up the pocketbook and take
out her wallet.This happens many time.
Most of the these people are the elderly who are not
paying any attention of whats going on.
Crime rate is up.Home invasion also up.
We had one yesterday,they point the gun at a seven yrs old boy.He was staying with grandma.
No one got hurt,they took cash a measley nine dollars.
This is pretty sad and dumb.

It's the most reported crime in the city - and it's getting worse, according to the police. In the past year, shoplifting arrests have climbed nearly 20 percent in Concord, while other theft arrests are up about 44 percent.

And it's the same story throughout the state and country, according to police elsewhere.

The economy is partly to blame, said Deputy Police Chief John Duval, but not wholly responsible. Arrests in Concord are also up, he said, because the police department and store security staff have stepped up their own crime fighting. The two groups have formed a task force. They are meeting monthly to talk about shoplifting and theft trends and to share tips on what items are being taken and how they're making it out of stores.

The partnership is so unusual that Detective Sean Ford, the department's point person for the task force, was recently invited to a law enforcement conference to share the idea with peers.

"It allows loss prevention to get ideas from other stores," Duval said. "And we can share things quickly with loss prevention because we are connected. It's like local police departments that work together."

Shoplifting and theft may not harm victims the same way as violent crimes, such as physical and sexual assaults. But the police say theft is a heavy burden for not only the stores and residents targeted, but also the city.

Nationally, retail outlets lose $35 million through shoplifting daily, according to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. That drives prices up costs for honest customers. And residents pay again when their tax bill arrives because in Concord patrol officers respond to more than 300 shoplifting and theft incidents annually. When they make an arrest, city prosecutors step in and see the case through the court process.

"It's a strain on our staffing," Duval said. "We respond to all of these, and it takes time to do the reports and interview the witnesses."

With shoplifting, department stores, as opposed to supermarkets and clothing stores, are the most frequently hit. And it's the electronics that are being taken, Duval said. Video games, televisions and MP3 players are popular because they can be sold for a lot of money.

When it comes to all other thefts, individuals are most commonly victimized, Duval said. Pocketbooks left in shopping carts or bags and purchases left in cars in plain sight are easy targets, Duval said.

To a lesser degree, people are stealing from gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores, he said. And criminals who take from grocery stores aren't always walking out with food to eat.

Beer and baby formula, which can be resold on the street, are routinely stolen.

The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention has closely studied the crime and those who commit it. The group has found people will shoplift a cheap $2 item as well as a $200 item. Most don't go into a store thinking they'll shoplift; about 70 percent of adults and juveniles say they decide to steal once they get into the store, according to the association.

Here's a statistic that shows why the annual cost of shoplifting doesn't correspond with the number of people arrested. According to the association, shoplifters say they are caught once for every 48 times they steal and get away with it.

Duval found interesting news in Concord's statistics from last year, too. Among juveniles, more girls than boys shoplift. But when it comes to other thefts, it's reversed. The department has apprehended shoplifters as young as 11, Duval said.