One hundred and nine people were arrested and $29,000 in merchandise was seized during an eight-day retail theft crackdown in Victoria.
The police operation between Nov. 5 and Dec. 5 focused on violent and chronic shoplifters in the aftermath of concerns expressed by local businesses. Among them was an increase in violence when there are attempts to intervene in shoplifting staff health and safety on the line, Victoria police said in a Thursday news release.
According to the department, four people were arrested multiple times during the operational blitz. Twenty-one of the 109 people had outstanding warrants.
Between everyone arrested, there were 1,103 criminal convictions, including 186 violent offences.
Greater Victoria has a population of less than 400,000 people with under 100,000 in Victoria proper.
“The results of this project are staggering, and clearly indicate that even though there has been a decline in shoplifting reports, retail theft continues to be a huge problem in our city,” said Chief Del Manak.
“VicPD is committed to continue addressing this problem, in partnership with our community, and helping people feel safer.”
Between Feb. 15 and March 10, a similar operation in Vancouver nabbed more than 215 arrests.
“Violence and threats are an increasing aspect of retail theft,” said Tony Hunt of London Drugs Loss Prevention in the Thursday news release.
“Effectively dealing with these crimes is of interest to the public, as everyone pays for retail crime, and all of us know someone who works in retail who is impacted by retail crime.”
Sign up to receive newsletters and breaking news email alerts.