Gareth O'Callaghan: There's no longer a stereotypical shoplifter, it has become a pandemic here

Shoplifting is not regarded as a crime by many people who engage in it. As they see it, it's not the same as a mugging, or an armed post office heist. It's become a blurred middle-class misnomer: No one gets injured. 

Given the right conditions — it's a fact of modern life — most people will entertain the temptation to steal.

I watched the woman as she strolled leisurely along the supermarket aisle, a few yards ahead of me. I’d sussed what she was up to, and I was fascinated by her cheeky defiance. 

Spotting a shoplifter is not rocket science. It seems as though they’re everywhere these days. Mostly that evening though, I was curious to see if I was wrong, if she was just doing a normal shop; but my gut instinct was telling me different.