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In February, when a man tried to leave a Denner branch in the Lausanne area, the branch manager stopped him and accused him of buying a croissant. But a search of his bag reveals: nothing. No pastries.
However, the customer was disturbed by the branch manager blaming him for no reason and reported him. He was proven right: the prosecutor convicted the general manager with a criminal arrest warrant for insult and assault. He was given a suspended sentence of 70 francs for ten days. However, he must cover procedural costs of 825 francs.
The case shows that store detectives or branch managers are not allowed to do anything even if they want to protect their business from theft. When do private investigators go too far?
Do I need to show the contents of my bag to the store detective? NO. However, the detective may politely ask you to do this. Ideally, he or she will talk to you secretly and ask you to go to a separate room so as not to attract too much attention.
Can you search my purse and purchases against my will? NO. Store detectives do not have the authority to search customers’ personal belongings.
Can people examine me and my clothes against my will? NO. A detective can only do this with your permission.
Can a store detective call the police? Yes it can. If the customer is uncooperative during the inspection, the customer may call the police for assistance.
Can he ask me to wait in the store until the police officer arrives? Yes. The detective is not obliged to let customers go who make requests to the police.
Can I be held by force until the police arrive? Yes, if the value of the stolen goods is over 300 francs. The customer must also have been caught red-handed as stated in the Code of Criminal Procedure. In extreme cases, such as when the suspect is flailing around with his hands and feet, restraints may also be justified.
Fly: Anyone who has nothing to hide can be checked by the store detective. Thus, the doubt is quickly resolved.
You can find out here what happens if the police intervene.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
