Police vexed by petty complaints from unmanned store owners

As the number of unmanned stores climbs, so has the number of related thefts. A recent study found that 1,377 thefts were committed at unmanned stores in Seoul between September 2020 and January 2022.

A image of an unmanned store in Seoul on March 16, 2023. [NEWS1]

Last month, a police officer in Gangbuk, northern Seoul, went to an unmanned ice cream store in the neighborhood after receiving a call from the store owner asking the police to drive out several elementary students hanging out in the store for hours.

“There were only children when I had arrived at the store [and no store owner],” the police said.

“It felt disheartening as I questioned whether I should be handling such a trivial situation as if I were a private security guard,” the officer told the JoongAng Ilbo.

Many officers are receiving similar calls as unmanned stores have surged in recent years.

Most of the cases involve minors, making it difficult for police to charge any misdemeanor or felony committed.

One police officer in Seoul said they even received calls for a 1,000 won (75 cents) theft.

“A store owner even asked us to patrol the store every two hours,” said the police officer, who asked for anonymity.

One store even had a notice that the police were actively patrolling the store between midnight and 6 a.m.

According to the Hana Institute of Finance, last year, 3,310 unmanned convenience stores were run by the four major convenience store operators — CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, and Emart24.

That’s a 56 percent increase year-on-year.

According to the National Fire Agency, as of March, there are 6,323 unmanned stores, including ice cream stores and laundromats.

As the number of unmanned stores climbs, so has the number of related thefts.

A recent study by the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice found that 1,377 thefts were committed at unmanned stores in Seoul between September 2020 and January 2022.

That’s 84 percent of the 1,640 crimes committed in unmanned stores nationwide.

In 2022 alone, 6,018 cases have been reported, a 71.25 percent surge from the 3,514 crimes between March and December of 2021.

Unmanned convenience stores operated by retail giants are installing advanced security systems.

CU, 7-Eleven, and Emart24 are test-running an operation system where customers can only enter the store through a verification system.

Once a customer enters the store after getting approved by the verification system, payments are automatically made using the facial recognition system and weight sensors.

CU and GS25 also work with private security companies, which monitor the stores 24 hours daily and immediately dispatch security personnel if a crime is committed.

However, smaller shops run by private owners who do not have similar capital or resources are exposed to crimes, even ones committed by minors.

Many of the stores rely on surveillance cameras for security.

As a result, the police are often called in to resolve incidents, whether conflicts or thefts.

The police complain that owners are shifting their responsibilities, such as security and even store management, to the police.

Recently, a police officer posted on Blind, an anonymous online workplace community, that some store owners have requested the police to park their patrol vehicles and use the store as their key post to deter crimes.

The police officer emphasized that many of these unmanned stores are located near elementary and middle schools, adding that some store owners asked the police to draw up warning posters.

The officer said the store owners blame the police when thefts are committed.

Yet when asked to install an identification verification system, the store owners refused, citing a potential drop in the number of customers.

Another police officer posted on Blind that all the store owners do is review their security footage.

“The biggest problem is that they call us in for 1,000-won thefts, which can divert our attention from urgent and important cases,” the officer said.

“Although the police cannot solve everything, the police must protect the public’s safety and property rights,” said Lee Yung-hyeock, a professor of police science at Konkuk University.

The professor said the public and the private sector need to discuss a solution to improving security services.

BY LEE BO-RAM [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]