A sharp rise in shoplifting in the West Shore area has prompted police to take action.
According to the West Shore RCMP, their crime reduction team arrested 27 individuals for shoplifting during a 6-week period from November to the end of December 2023.
Throughout the entire year—from January 1st to December 31st—RCMP say they investigated 514 reports of shoplifting under $5,000 in the West Shore, compared to 400 for the same period last year, reflecting a 29% increase in shoplifting incidents.
To counter this surge, the West Shore RCMP Crime Reduction Unit concentrated its efforts during the last quarter of 2023 to address the issue of shoplifting in the community.
West Shore RCMP said officers from the unit collaborated with Loss Prevention Officers (LPO) from different West Shore businesses each week.
When the LPO identified someone stealing within a store, they informed officers stationed outside the store.
“Once the shoplifting suspect exited the store without paying for the goods, they were arrested by police,” said RCMP in a media release.
See also:
- Police make 109 arrests in ‘Project Lifter’ crackdown on theft in downtown Victoria
- Young man turns himself in after stealing $20K in jewelry from West Shore retailer
Out of the 27 individuals arrested, nine met the criteria for Restorative Justice and were diverted away from the criminal justice system through this program.
Among the remaining 18, 13 are scheduled to appear in court on theft-related charges, and five individuals have been banned from the store.
“This was a successful outcome for both police and West Shore retailers. Partnering with Loss Prevention Officers was key in being able to identify shoplifting taking place within the store, we thank all stores that collaborated with police,” said Cpl. Danny Grieve West Shore RCMP Crime Reduction Unit.
Police say the blitz allowed thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods to be returned to the impacted stores.
Police identified one of the suspects as a resident of Chilliwack who is suspected in multiple previous thefts from the same retailer, involving high-value tools and electronics. Chilliwack RCMP were alerted and made an arrest.
