Middle school students in Sooke have been shoplifting and bragging about their haul on social media, calling it the “Bling Ring.”
The students’ attempts to out-do each other has resulted in a spike in shoplifting among local businesses, said Michael Nyikes, president of the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce — including $400 worth of goods stolen from People’s Drug Mart in the past week.
The chamber posted a warning on its website this week, alerting businesses to the ring.
“They were running it as a bit of a contest to see who would be able to steal the most merchandise,” Nyikes said of the students. “They were posting pictures of their haul online through Facebook.”
While it’s not uncommon for teens to boast about their rebellious behaviour to friends, Nyikes said he was surprised they posted it on a public forum — with their names attached.
Journey Middle School principal Laurie Szadkowski identified five students after other students raised concerns about the illegal behaviour.
The principal contacted the students’ parents, said Sooke school district superintendent Jim Cambridge.
“They’re doing something rather silly with no sense of the consequences for being caught,” he said.
Nyikes said businesses should call the Sooke RCMP if they experience any further shoplifting; Cambridge hopes the publicity will put an end to the thefts.
