Study: Czechs are Europe’s biggest shoplifters

Czechs top the list of Europe’s biggest shoplifters, according to a study by the UK’s Centre for Retail Research released on Wednesday. The study shows that around 8.7 billion crowns, or 510 million US dollars, worth of goods was stolen by customers and staff in 2009. The losses accounted for nearly 1.4 percent of total retail sales in the country, which is up by 0.9 percent from last year. The number is the highest of all 21 EU countries featured in the study. Stolen merchandise most frequently includes alcohol, cosmetics, electronics and other goods.