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In response to a rise in juvenile delinquency, supermarket owners have made the dramatic decision to prohibit teens from entering stores at night.
In an effort to combat a wave of stealing and employee abuse, IGA stores in Geraldton, Western Australia, have declared that unsupervised children will be denied admission after 6 p.m.
The stores in Rigters, Queens, and Wonthella in the state’s midwest may reject access to unaccompanied minors under 16 or ask them to leave.
The general manager of the three stores, Kyme Rigter, told The West Australian that stealing occurred between 25 and 35 times each week, or six times per day.
Mr. Rigter stated that store managers will have the authority to determine who is denied access.
In one year, the operations manager, Stuart Bain, determined that $150,000 worth of missing merchandise might be attributable to theft between the supermarkets.
Previously, unsupervised children were prohibited from entering stores during school hours.
A Perth A Hungry Jack’s restaurant banned anyone under the age of 17 from entering without a parent or guardian last week.
The Hungry Jacks in front of the Westfield Whitford City shopping area was recently attacked by ‘eshays’ who harassed employees and caused property damage.
Both the IGA and Hungry Jacks have decided to prohibit service to minors in response to a spate of young violence in the state of Washington.
At least 16 adolescents have been charged with more than 100 offenses, including burglaries and armed robberies, since the beginning of the year.
»WA IGA supermarket owners ban teens after a string of theft and abuse«