OPINION: A child’s innocence robbed in a Limerick shop for a can of Red Bull

CRIME in Limerick has reached a sad low. A CCTV video shared by a local retailer with the Leader shows a disturbing scene in a local store: a girl, no older than eight, is seen placing what appears to be a can of Red Bull into a rucksack on a buggy.

She does so in the company of an adult woman and in the presence of an even younger child.

The girl hesitates at times, clearly awaiting a signal from the adult woman who is accompanied by another adult woman. 

It’s obvious the young girl has been coached. 

READ MORE: 'Parents are coaching children to steal from shops in Limerick'

As the group rounds a corner in the aisle of the store, the two adults begin stuffing more goods - meat, rashers, and butter into another rucksack at the back of the buggy. 

The brazenness is shocking. 

But worse still is the exploitation of a child in the act.

This is not just theft. 

It’s grooming. 

It’s teaching a child that stealing is acceptable and achievable if done with planning and subtlety. 

What kind of future awaits a child raised under this type of influence?

Yes, we must question what personal circumstances leads a parent or any adult to involve a child in such behaviour. 

The women in the footage appear fairly well-presented, with their false eyelashes and tans. 

How anyone can justify placing a child in such a position over a few euros worth of goods is mind boggling. 

Experts will speak of prevention and intervention. 

But when the root of the problem lies within the home, with the very adult responsible for guiding and protecting the child, the challenge is far greater. 

It highlights just how difficult it is to shield children from being used as pawns in adult criminality and how easily that exploitation can set them on a path toward a life of crime. And so the vicious circle continues.