Tokmanni charges €80 fee for shoplifting incidents

Finnish retail chain Tokmanni is demanding an €80 processing fee from every shoplifter caught in its stores, including the parent of a 13-year-old boy who stole a deodorant and an energy drink worth about €6, Yle reports.

Jukka Oinonen, Tokmanni’s security chief, justified the fee by citing costs such as security services. However, Matti Tolvanen, emeritus professor of criminal law, called the practice highly questionable, noting that only courts—and in some cases police and prosecutors—have the legal authority to impose fines.

In one case, Lapland police became involved in the dispute between the store and the customer, urging the boy’s father to pay the fee despite the matter falling outside police duties. Tolvanen criticised the police for offering such advice.

A May Yle report revealed that Helsinki District Court is overwhelmed with minor shoplifting cases, some involving items worth as little as 50 cents. The surge follows a change in police practice to investigate smaller thefts, which some argue inflates property crime statistics.

Shoplifting costs Finnish retailers an estimated €500 million annually in stolen goods and prevention, according to a 2023 survey by the Finnish Commerce Federation.

A legal change set for June 2027 will expand police and prosecutors’ fining powers, allowing them to issue fines for offences with a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment—up from the current six months. The reform may also let authorities order compensation in shoplifting cases if both parties agree.