Children as young as five filmed stealing from corner shop

Children as young as five have been filmed wearing balaclavas while stealing from a corner shop, with their parents reportedly waiting outside. Shopkeeper Erdogan Yigitoglu, who has operated his store in Bournemouth, Dorset, for 19 years, has been sharing CCTV footage of shoplifters online for six years in an effort to deter crime.

Footage released by Yigitoglu shows young offenders taking items ranging from chocolate bars and disposable barbecues to fruit. In one instance, he observed children wearing balaclavas taking fruit before returning to adults who were waiting outside. He described one mother patting her child on the head after the theft, as if congratulating them.

"The incident with the young children in balaclavas was particularly shocking for me," Yigitoglu stated. "What upset me most was seeing very young children copying this kind of behaviour from adults." He added that it was disturbing to see children return to a mother who appeared to treat the situation as normal.

Yigitoglu estimates he loses thousands of pounds annually due to theft, which has also impacted his mental health. He has found that publicly shaming thieves on social media and banning them from his shop has been effective, noting that about half of those caught on camera have returned to apologize and pay for the items. "From my experience, sharing the CCTV has made a real difference," he said.

Recently, a group of youngsters with covered faces attempted to enter his shop in the evening. Yigitoglu explained that they were denied entry due to their obscured faces, after which the group stole a large box of chocolates and fled. "It is extremely frustrating because we are working hard every day, trying to run an honest business and provide a service to the community," he said.

The shopkeeper expressed concern about the broader societal impact of such behavior, particularly on younger generations. "What concerns me most is the effect this can have on the next generation," Yigitoglu stated. "If young people grow up seeing this behaviour as normal or something to copy, I really worry about where we will be in the future if nothing changes." He emphasized the need to stop treating shoplifting as normal or harmless, adding, "We want people to understand that behind every small business there are real people, real families and years of hard work."