Liquor theft in Erkner: Police look for witnesses and publish photos!

Liquor theft in Erkner: Police look for witnesses and publish photos!

The security situation in Erkner has come into focus again due to current incidents that have occurred in the last few months. A particularly brazen theft occurred on November 4, 2024 in a supermarket on Ladestrasse. A man was able to steal a bottle of liquor when he cleverly covered the bottle in the checkout area and handed it over to two companions who put it in a backpack. The plan initially seemed to work, but when witnesses confronted the trio about the theft, the main perpetrator became violent and hit one of the witnesses in the arm with his fist. Despite the subsequent escape, the police were unable to determine the identity of the perpetrator. At the time of the crime, he was wearing a blue cap, a gray-blue bomber jacket, blue jeans and black shoes, and was probably speaking Russian to his accomplices. The police are asking the public for information and have published photos of the perpetrator, which can be found on the website of, among other places moz.de can be viewed.

Another incident that illustrates police violence in the region took place on November 19, 2024 in a kiosk on Bahnhofstrasse. There, two unknown men stole several cartons of cigarettes. In an unobserved moment, they managed to get behind the cash register and take cigarettes from the shelf. They quickly tried to leave the store, but the saleswoman and a witness were able to hold them briefly. However, the perpetrators were able to break away and escape, causing damage of around 300 euros. The investigation into the identity of the suspects is in full swing. The details of this incident are on polizeibericht-brandenburg.de to read.

A worrying trend

These incidents are part of a larger problem that is clear in the 2023 police crime statistics: The number of shopliftings in Germany rose by over 23 percent last year to more than 426,000 cases. The German Trade Association (HDE) points out that many shoplifting cases go unreported due to the high number of unreported cases. According to the HDE, punishment often fails to materialize; Shoplifters who are reported often get away with it without consequences. HDE Managing Director Stefan Genth urgently calls for more consistent criminal prosecution of shoplifting, with organized theft gangs in particular being targeted. These are visible causes of the problem, whose crimes have increased by almost 26 percent. Further information is available here retail.de available.

The repeated thefts in Erkner highlight the challenges that local businesses and the police have to overcome. By calling for public testimony, the authorities hope to shed light on the matter and hold the perpetrators accountable. Keep your eyes open and let’s support the police in their investigation!