A three-day crackdown on retail theft led to 17 shoplifting arrests, weapon seizures and recovery of about $5,000 worth of stolen goods, Victoria police say.
Plainclothes officers patrolled stores in Hillside and Mayfair shopping centres and in the downtown area from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, with the goal of targeting prolific offenders.
“Specific stores had talked about some of the thefts that they were seeing, as well as the concerns about the violence that their security staff faced — which sometimes can be significant,” said Victoria police spokesman Bowen Osoko. “It’s been an ongoing issue, for sure.”
Along with the shoplifting arrests, two people were found to be in breach of their release conditions and six had outstanding arrest warrants.
Knives, airsoft pistols and bear spray were among the weapons recovered during the three days, as well as merchandise that included high-end jackets and athletic wear, Lego and other toys.
“People will steal high-end jackets not for warmth but for resale on the street,” Osoko said.
Erin Boggs, co-owner of Robinson’s Outdoor Store, said staff at the downtown business frequently deals with shoplifters. “It’s at least once or twice a week,” she said. “Essentially I’m like business owner/bodyguard.”
Some of the people who come in to steal have been sent by others and zero in on specific items, Boggs said. “There are certain jackets we can’t even keep on the floor anymore because we’ve had multiple stolen this year.”
Boggs said when she got to work Friday, she found burn marks on the windows from someone trying to get inside.
Downtown Victoria Business Association chief executive Jeff Bray said shoplifting is a major issue for businesses, especially smaller, independent ones. He praised the police operation, saying it highlights the challenges businesses face.
Putting up with a steady stream of shoplifters “shouldn’t be the cost of doing business downtown,” Bray said.
“We really need the province to deliver the kind of services that assist individuals who are really committing these crimes to fuel drug addiction and other things, so that we can reduce the impact and at the same time improve the lives of the individuals we see.”
Bray said one of the problems is that social services and supportive-housing units are largely confined to a small area of downtown. “It’s not fair that one part of this region bears the brunt of all of that.” Issues like drug use and mental health problems are “wrapped into the streetscape,” Bray said.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
