Russians began to steal food in stores more often – the number of people arrested and fined for this increased by 17%. Experts interviewed by “Layout” link the growth of petty theft with the impoverishment of the population in the war year
From January to June 2022, the number of petty theft increased in Russia (Article 7.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) compared to the same period last year, Layout found, having studied statistics Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of Russia. Courts found 67,113 people guilty of petty theft in the first half of the year. This is almost 17% more than last year.
Petty theft is considered the theft of property worth up to 2,500 rubles. Punishment – a fine, compulsory work or arrest up to 15 days.
Most of the cases under this article involve shoplifting at grocery stores.
Layout studied several dozens of published judicial acts in cases of petty theft and found that most often Russians stole alcohol, sausages, meat, butter, sweets. Judges mostly imposed fines or administrative arrests on offenders.
In Syktyvkar, a local resident was placed in a special detention center for four days for stealing a pack of butter worth 116 rubles in Pyaterochka. Another Syktyvkar was arrested for four days for stealing 220 grams of tomatoes and 300 grams of cucumbers worth 92 rubles in a store. Resident of Domodedovo received two days of arrest for taking a stick of sausage for 140 rubles out of the store. In Gorno-Altaisk, a local resident has a court appointed 20 hours of compulsory work for the theft of a smoked leg worth 157 rubles.
In some cases, the courts took into account mitigating circumstances and imposed a minimum penalty – a fine of 1,000 rubles. So, for example, it happened in Usinsk, where a local resident stole в магазине пачку масла за 244 рубля. Мировой судья appointed ей штраф, приняв во внимание «материальное и семейное положение, возраст и состояние здоровья» женщины и тот факт, что ранее она не привлекалась к административной ответственности.
According to the latest data Rosstat, every eighth Russian lives below the poverty line. The income of 17.6 million people (12.1%) does not exceed 14,000 rubles.
The increase in the number of petty thefts in stores is directly related to the decline in living standards in Russia, economist Natalya Zubarevich believes. “This is a typical consequence of impoverishment. Thefts will increase,” she said.
According to sociologist Iskander Yasaveev (recognized by the Ministry of Justice as a “foreign agent”), the number of such cases could increase under the influence of various factors. “We can assume that this is due to the growing equipment of stores with video surveillance systems, the increase in alcohol consumption and the general impoverishment of the population,” he says.
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