Thirty-two people were arrested and nearly $18,000 in stolen property was recovered this weekend in what Vancouver police described as a clampdown on shoplifting.
Incidents included a man and woman alleged to have stolen 47 pairs of pants worth close to $6,000 from a clothing store on Robson Street Friday afternoon.
Another incident saw a man with a weapon enter a convenience store Sunday afternoon and walk out with a box of doughnuts. After reviewing surveillance video, police arrested a 30-year-old suspect, whom they describe as a chronic shoplifter with nine theft convictions since 2017.
Police have recommended 71 charges stemming from the weekend arrests.
Since 2019, commercial robberies have risen 126 per cent and cases involving weapons have increased by 550 per cent, according to police.
Police say shoplifting incidents remain underreported.
“We know that when people report crimes to police we have success in apprehending offenders and holding people accountable,” Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement.
“We continue to encourage anyone who sees a crime to call us right away so we can investigate.”