‘It hurts’: Richmond business says repeat thefts costing hundreds of dollars a week

A Richmond grocer plagued by an epidemic of shoplifting says they feel powerless, with police and security systems doing little to deter the repeated thievery.

“Sometimes they just rush in and take and then rush out,” said Vincent Cen, whose family owns the New Empire Supermarket.

“Most of the time they steal high-priced items, like sea bass steaks, they’re like $50.”

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Cen said the problem is costing the business hundreds of dollars a week.

Many of the thieves, according to Cen, are repeat offenders. And they often don’t fit the stereotypical picture of a shoplifter either.

“They’re organized; they come in a group. One person will stand at the entrance and look out, one person will go and talk to the cashiers to make them distracted, and one person will be stealing stuff.”

“Some people, they dress very well, they drive a Porsche, they drive a Mercedes, a BMW, an Audi and then they come in to steal.”

The family has invested heavily in security cameras, but Cen voiced frustration that even after reporting the crimes to police, providing video and licence plate numbers, nothing seems to happen.

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Often the same thieves return to steal again, he said.

“They don’t care because they know the police will not do anything,” he said.

Global News requested an interview with Richmond RCMP, but the detachment declined to comment or provide any information.

A spokesperson told Global News they were working through a long weekend backlog.

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Police have provided data to the city, however, ahead of an upcoming community safety meeting.

That data showed Richmond recorded 149 shoplifting incidents in February, up 28 per cent from January and up 50 per cent from the year prior.

Suspects have been identified in just under a third of cases.

Richmond Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Shaena Furlong said the city’s retail theft problem isn’t as bad as some other B.C. cities, but that it has worsened since COVID-19.

“You have to raise prices to cover the cost of security, but also to make up for the cost of all the lost product,” she said.

“For small operators that $200 a month could mean the difference between paying for their kids’ braces.”

She said programs like the province’s Securing Small Business Rebate Program have helped, but that broader action is needed to tackle the root problems of property crime.

Richmond city councillor Andy Hobbs told Global News that businesses’ frustrations were “completely understandable.”

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He said Richmond RCMP have made tackling theft a priority, and noted they had made several recent arrests and property seizures.

But he said the problem is complex with drivers including poverty, mental health and addictions as well as organized crime.

“It’s really important to report crime,” he said.

“It’s important for citizens who witnessed it or have any information to provide that to police, so police can either make an arrest or conduct an investigation … Sometimes it takes days, weeks and months, even with property crime, to identify suspects and to make progress and investigation.”

Back at New Empire, the business is doing what it can to stem the tide of stolen product.

Cen said the business recently redesigned its layout to force people to exit through a smaller area and hopefully offer less of a chance for people to grab and run.

“What can the police do and what can the city do to help us?” he said.

“It hurts.”