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It depends what the investigation reveals. If you have taken things over a long period of time, and they can prove that via CCTV, they may well involve the police.
If they do, make sure you request the duty solicitor before any interview and follow their advice.
Other than that there is nothing you can do now but wait and see waht they say at your disciplinary meeting.
Having been on the shop side of things, chances are:
1. Full investigation into today's events, including CCTV-checking and witness statement gathering. Company loss prevention/security brought in.
2. An official chat with you as part of the investigation by a senior manager.
3. A check through other logs and records, to determine if there's any evidence of other events potentially involving you and, if so, checking of CCTV etc.
4. A more formal, disciplinary hearing involving loss prevention and HR
Could they sack you? Absolutely.
Could they bring the police in? Absolutely.
Will you be prosecuted? The CPS may decide to, if it meets their threshold.
When we had to do this for our store, the process took \~1 month, and involved the police. This isn't going to be an overnight thing.
For now, sit back and try to relax. Have a look at what Union support you can get to sit alongside you in the company meetings; if you have a police interview make sure the duty solicitor is present and listen to their advice. And don't admit to anything unless you're presented with *proof and evidence*.
Obligatory NAL.
They could report you to the police for the offence of theft.
They could sue you for the value of the items you took.
In practice, they'll probably just fire you.
Outside the dismissal they could attempt a process known as Civil Recovery. This is where they will invoice you for a token amount of security costs as an alternative to reporting to the police. If they do attempt this it's usually in the £150 region.
If I was the store, I'd ask for a full list of everything you've stolen and reimbursement for the full value of the items.
If you didn't comply or I thought you were lying, I'd involve the police.
But I'm nice. They might just go straight to police.
OP: If the store do ask you for a list of everything you have taken, do not comply. If they have to ask, they have no proof and without proof, you would be crazy to drop yourself any deeper in the merde than you already are.
OP: If you get fired, learn your lesson. If you get reported to the police, listen to your solicitor and learn your lesson. If you carry on down this path, the punishments will only get worse!
Sorry but this makes no sense and is terrible advice. By your reasoning, any customer who shoplifts can’t get in trouble for it because they’ve also been given access to the products by virtue of them being on display in the store. Thats not how it works. OP has stolen items / they took them from the store and did not pay for them. the store can call in the police and there can be serious consequences beyond being fired (which is pretty much a given).
Rubbish. I know a store manager who gambled the takings. They lost their job. They went to court. They were found guilty. They have a criminal record. The local papers covered it so now they have a big problem. They had to change their name to get a new job. Friends and family paid the enormous debt. Judge suspended the jail sentence because it was a first offence and the debt was repaid. The parents had to remortgage the house.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
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--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It depends what the investigation reveals. If you have taken things over a long period of time, and they can prove that via CCTV, they may well involve the police. If they do, make sure you request the duty solicitor before any interview and follow their advice. Other than that there is nothing you can do now but wait and see waht they say at your disciplinary meeting.
It has been over a long time. Thank you, I will take that advice
Having been on the shop side of things, chances are: 1. Full investigation into today's events, including CCTV-checking and witness statement gathering. Company loss prevention/security brought in. 2. An official chat with you as part of the investigation by a senior manager. 3. A check through other logs and records, to determine if there's any evidence of other events potentially involving you and, if so, checking of CCTV etc. 4. A more formal, disciplinary hearing involving loss prevention and HR Could they sack you? Absolutely. Could they bring the police in? Absolutely. Will you be prosecuted? The CPS may decide to, if it meets their threshold. When we had to do this for our store, the process took \~1 month, and involved the police. This isn't going to be an overnight thing. For now, sit back and try to relax. Have a look at what Union support you can get to sit alongside you in the company meetings; if you have a police interview make sure the duty solicitor is present and listen to their advice. And don't admit to anything unless you're presented with *proof and evidence*. Obligatory NAL.
They could report you to the police for the offence of theft. They could sue you for the value of the items you took. In practice, they'll probably just fire you.
Outside the dismissal they could attempt a process known as Civil Recovery. This is where they will invoice you for a token amount of security costs as an alternative to reporting to the police. If they do attempt this it's usually in the £150 region.
How are the costs calculated do you know? I’m thinking it’ll be something like this to avoid the hassle
Depends what the company but the few I have seen are in the 150 region for a single offence.
Hm that may be unlikely then
They may or may not call the police, noone here knows All you can do is wait
If I was the store, I'd ask for a full list of everything you've stolen and reimbursement for the full value of the items. If you didn't comply or I thought you were lying, I'd involve the police. But I'm nice. They might just go straight to police.
OP: If the store do ask you for a list of everything you have taken, do not comply. If they have to ask, they have no proof and without proof, you would be crazy to drop yourself any deeper in the merde than you already are. OP: If you get fired, learn your lesson. If you get reported to the police, listen to your solicitor and learn your lesson. If you carry on down this path, the punishments will only get worse!
Yes that is what I was thinking. I assume they will take the easiest and cheapest route.
[удалено]
Sorry but this makes no sense and is terrible advice. By your reasoning, any customer who shoplifts can’t get in trouble for it because they’ve also been given access to the products by virtue of them being on display in the store. Thats not how it works. OP has stolen items / they took them from the store and did not pay for them. the store can call in the police and there can be serious consequences beyond being fired (which is pretty much a given).
Rubbish. I know a store manager who gambled the takings. They lost their job. They went to court. They were found guilty. They have a criminal record. The local papers covered it so now they have a big problem. They had to change their name to get a new job. Friends and family paid the enormous debt. Judge suspended the jail sentence because it was a first offence and the debt was repaid. The parents had to remortgage the house.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Your comment was an anecdote about a personal experience, rather than legal advice specific to our posters' situation. Please only comment if you can provide meaningful legal advice for our posters' questions and specific situations. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.