It goes without saying that most of us in no way condone the actions of any thief or burglar, but sometimes you do have to admit that the advancement in the planning behind petty thefts is quite something.
Maybe it's the plethora of criminal films and series that we have access to on Netflix, or maybe it's something else, but the plots used to steal things from shops have become a lot more inventive.
Take this bloke for example, who recently went viral because he managed to rinse Aldi of £329.99 after returning a TV that he hadn't even bought.
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The guy, unnamed (luck would have it), was captured on CCTV picking up a TV off the shelf. Not only that but with a big, jammy, grin on his face, too.
Obviously, he didn't have a receipt on him to authenticate such a procedure but that didn't matter to the Aldi cashier, compliantly handing out £329.99 to him. £329.99 for taking a TV from a shelf, walking a matter of feet to a checkout and saying, 'gizza bit of cash for this, will ya?' How can you not respect the sheer audacity of that?
Lincolnshire Police says the bloke even excused himself during the refund to go speak with the manager, who he ended up shaking hands with him.
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It's tough, given that he's blatantly committing a crime, but you sort of have to say "fair enough, mate".
This girl similarly used an out-of-the-box ploy to try and get her own way in a supermarket.
Dressing a cuddly toy dog in baby's clothes, he used a bra, with a baby's face drawn on it, to make it look like she was nonchalantly pushing her kid around a B&M Bargains in Solihull.
Credit: SWNS
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Saffron Curtiss-McGinty stashed sweets, candles and an electric toothbrush underneath the pram the fake child was in, hoping that she wouldn't be rumbled.
Unfortunately for her, she was spotted on CCTV. Her creative work in turning the toy dog into her spouse was then dismantled.
The 18-year-old was arrested for theft and assault, having slapped the store manager following her plan falling apart. She admitted to one more count of theft, as it turned out she'd stolen from the same store the day before.
Credit: SWNS
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"She won't be winning any awards for her artwork that's for sure," Chief Inspector Jack Hadley said. "I guess her baby portrait could be politely described as 'abstract'.
"We have known thieves try to use a child's buggy before to conceal stolen items - it's a tactic police and retailers are well aware of - but I've never come across a case of anyone making their own child."
In fairness to Saffron, her artistic creation is the type of pretentious crap that worms its way into art galleries these days.
She was given a 12-month community order for her crimes, as well as having to pay compensation and costs.
Topics: crime