Where will the lunacy of some stores end?The detention of an eight and a half months pregnant 40-year old woman in a liquor store in the Ipswich suburb of Springfield Lakes - who was forced to expose her belly in front of a store full of male shoppers - highlights the need for urgent legislation to outlaw this reprehensible practice.
The woman went to the 1st Choice Liquor store at Springfield Lakes on Monday evening and was told to lift her top to prove that she wasn't slipping stolen liquor down her pants next to her bulging belly.
The woman was mortified especially when she was told that if she didn't comply, the police would be called.
How could a heavily pregnant woman, who was totally humiliated by the experience, stand around for half an hour or waiting for the police to prove her innocence?
She was stripped of her dignity by staff who far exceeded their legal rights.
Queensland Consumer Watch is calling for the State Government to ban private strip searches of customers in shops throughout Queensland.
Strip searches are not the responsibility of untrained staff conducting random body and clothing checks in stores across Australia.
It is a degrading thing to happen to any person, let alone a 40-year old woman who is eight and half months pregnant.
Queensland Consumer Watch spokesman, Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully, described the incident as totally appalling and an invasion of individual rights.
Cr Tully said it was disgraceful that an eight and a half month pregnant woman had been humiliated in public for such a minor matter.
"The liquor store should be forced to apologise and pay compensation to this woman for the degrading way she was treated.
"The State Government should make it illegal for store owners to require shoppers to submit to strip searches in public.
"This is a matter for the police - not voyeurs working in liquor stores forcing pregnant women to undertake partial strip searches in front of other beady-eyed customers.
"The government needs to move quickly to ban this sort of unacceptable practice.
"Here we have a totally innocent woman being forced to parade her naked midriff inside a busy liquor store after being falsely accused of shoplifting," Cr Tully said.
WHAT ARE YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS?
1. A customer can refuse a body search, frisking and can legally ignore a demand to remove any clothing.
2. Store employees have no right to touch a customer or delay or impede the customer leaving a store.
3. Customers cannot be detained by staff.
4. Customers have the right to leave of their own free will and do not have to wait until police arrive.
5. Stores have the right to ban customers without giving a reason.
HAVE YOU HAD AN UNTOWARD EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS IN A STORE?
Email Queensland Consumer Watch with your story.
Email Queensland Consumer Watch with your story.
