Brazen Victoria's Secret shoplifters open theft season

The 2012 holiday shoplifting season started early after four women apparently working together stole at least 53 bras and panties from Battle Creek’s Victoria’s Secret store.
Battle Creek police said Friday the $1,400 theft was reported Sunday at the store in Lakeview Square Mall at 5775 Beckley Road.
A clerk in the store, 21, said four women in their 20s entered about 5 p.m. and two of them asked for bra fittings so she took them to the back of the store.
The clerk told police the other two women stayed in front of the store and when the fittings were completed they left, setting off alarms. The other two women also quickly left and although the clerk called for security, the four women were gone.
The theft is the latest among many at the Battle Creek store:
• In October 2011 65 bras valued at $2,925 were taken from two drawers near the front of the store.
• In September 2010 600 pair of panties valued at $6,000 were taken while clerks were helping customers.
• In October 2009, 80 bras valued at $3,200 from drawers near the front of the store.
• In June 2008 a clerk found that 160 pair of underwear valued at $1,300 were taken.
• Fifty pair of panties valued at $400 were reported missing in January 2005.
Thefts have been reported at Victoria’s Secrets stores in other cities, too:
• Last month in Richmond Heights, Ohio, a man twice stole panties and sweatpants, taking goods valued at $1,474.
• In Nashville, Tenn., a woman stole several thousand dollars worth of merchandise last week and then attempted to return it for cash at other stores.
• And in Palo Alto, California, thieves entered a store on Halloween and stole 180 bras valued at $11,000 while clerks were busy.
A spokeswoman for Victoria’s Secret in Columbus, Tammy Roberts Myers, said in a statement, “We take these matters seriously and we work closely and in cooperation with local state and federal authorities on these type of investigations.”
But company officials have said they don’t believe the thefts are a trend but rather an occasional occurrance and attract some attention because the merchandise is underwear for women from Victoria’s Secret.
The theft is an example of the rise in retail larcenies expected during the holiday season, Lt. Steve Bush of the Battle Creek Police Department said Friday. “There is an increase this time of year, probably because of the increased number of people in the stores,” Bush said.
Nationally, retailers lose about $30 billion in merchandise to shoplifting, according to the National Retail Federation.
Battle Creek and Emmett Township police have increased their holiday patrols along the Beckley Road retail corridor on both sides of M-66 and reported few problems on Friday, the first official day of the shopping season.
Bush said officers are there to “make sure shoppers have a safe shopping experience.”
He encouraged people to watch their surroundings, lock their cars, keep valuables out of sight and report suspicious people or activities to store security officers or police.
“If we don’t know about it we can’t do anything about it,” Bush said.