Do you agree with the refrain “older, but wiser.” My grandfather used to say that one all the time. I believed it too. My grandpa was one wise man who I respected greatly.

As a counselor for both in-class and online stop theft classes I can tell you that the majority of my students are not elderly. I say 70, because as I am getting older I still see 70 as “old.” The average age would be about 30. So for many, with respect to theft or shoplifting, older may be wiser. Perhaps their age makes them wiser so they can avoid getting caught. As reported in www.huffingtonpost.com.

There is no hiding the fact that Tokyo (Japan) has a major issue with its senior citizens.

Shoplifting is an age old problem and now the shoplifters are older than ever -- at least in Tokyo.

Oldsters Outnumber Teens

Tokyo police officials say that nearly 25 percent of all shoplifting arrests in the city last year were 65 years old or older. Sticky-fingered oldsters arrested narrowly outnumbered teen shoplifters.

The increase in theft among the elderly comes at a time when overall shoplifting is down.

One survey shows that elderly shoplifters tend to be lonely, having no one to talk to, and having no hobby to enjoy.

The shoplifting stats show that nearly 73 percent of the shoplifting seniors were unemployed and 11.3 percent were on welfare. A third of those arrested cited lack of money as the reason they committed the crime and 32 percent said they had no one to turn to for help.

Food made up about 70 percent of the stolen items.

Do you think Japan needs more stop theft classes? Perhaps they need more senior organizations so they don’t feel the need to get caught shoplifting just for human interaction.