P.E.I. shop posting thefts online to stop impulse

Some visitors are heading to a Charlottetown shop with the wrong impulses.

An adult novelty store in Charlottetown called Wild Impulse is having success identifying shoplifters by posting images from security videosonline.

Shoplifting seems to be more of a problem at the store this time of year, and posting the images is one way of combating that says Stephanie Dooley, one of the managers of Wild Impulse.

However, she said P.E.I. is small and once an image goes upthe names come quickly.

"Typically within 30 minutes we have at least the names," she said.

Sometimes information is provided on where the person lives or their place of work.

"Everyone knows everyone around here," Dooley said.

A deterrent

Video footage is carefully reviewed to ensure a theft has actually happened before anything is posted online, she said.

She believes people who see the Facebook posts think twice about shoplifting, so it also acts as a deterrent.

"Hopefully they'd be embarrassed or they wouldn't you know want friends and family knowing what they are doing on their off time," Dooley said.

Previously the store staffprinted off the images fromsecurity footage and postedthem inside, but in the past year they have been putting them online, she said.

Police are always contacted and given the information so they can investigate, Dooley said.

"As soon as we have a theft we do contact the police and hand off the video," she said.

However, Charlottetown police said they don't recommend stores post their own videos of shoplifters because they could face retaliation.

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