Szczecin shoplifter is stripped naked after supermarket alerts protection gang

On Monday, local police reported that a 19-year old man caught trying to shoplift a sweatshirt, was later found stripped and dumped naked in central Szczecin, his back brandished with the words "I am a thief". The summary justice was handed out by unidentified men driving a Mercedes with blacked-out windows, who were called by staff at the supermarket in the north-western city. Local police spokesman Artur Marciniak said that as there was no official complaint from the supermarket, no action was taken against the youth As for the lesson the young man suffered, Marciniak agreed that "depriving someone of their freedom is illegal". Commercial premises are commonly forced to seek paid protection from gangsters, either because they lack confidence in the police or for fear of attack. (Reuters)