Winnipeg police step up enforcement with retail theft prevention initiative

Hundreds of arrests have been made since the start of November as part of the Winnipeg Police Service’s efforts to clamp down on shoplifting.

As part of the agency’s new retail theft initiative, a little over 150 people were arrested. At a press conference on Monday, Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said the initiative comes at a time when increasing violence at stores and businesses has become a concern not only for the businesses affected, but also for customers and the surrounding community. She added that the aim of the initiative is to prevent such crimes from taking place.

Conducted in partnership with the Retail Council of Canada and Winnipeg’s business community, the initiative hopes to benefit the retail community long after the end of the holiday season, McKinnon said.

“No one is immune,” she said, adding that shoplifting is not a victimless crime. She highlighted that concerns rise from weapons-related theft and even the possibility of being attacked if a bystander tries to stop a shoplifter.

But she noted that the city’s police force is ready to step in.

“We will be out there. I won’t say when and I am not going to say where, (but) if you are going to shoplift, we are going to be there,” McKinnon said.

In a press release on Monday, WPS noted that nearly 4,000 incidents of shoplifting for items under $5,000 occurred between January and August. It represented a 44 per cent increase over the same time period last year.

The release further noted that officers are “using data collected through crime analysists to determine where to focus … deterrence efforts.” With the initiative, officers are expected to target other areas outside of the downtown core, Kildonan Crossing and Polo Park.

Supt. Bonnie Emerson echoed the concern people have felt, adding that retail theft is a problem.

“Employees and customers should not have to face violence when they are in retail environments,” Emerson said. Two ways to ensure that businesses are safer, she said, are enforcement and partnership with other agencies.

Emerson further noted that while the initiative focuses on enforcement, there’s also a focus on diverting shoplifters so that they can get the help they need — from accessing resources with the Bear Clan to working with food banks so that individuals can get food hampers.

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