Winnipeg police changing anti-theft tactics as retailers warn shoplifters turning more violent

Winnipeg store owners say shoplifters have become far more brazen, as police are trying to change up the tactics they're using to crack down on the problem.

Late last year, police arrested hundreds of shoplifters through a new initiative targeting retail theft hot spots in the city. Insp. Jennifer McKinnon, with the Winnipeg Police Service's major crimes unit, said police used "covert tactics" to make those arrests during blitzes, but shoplifters quickly realized what was going on.

"Word gets out and they start realizing what those covert tactics are, and they change and they adapt and they learn and they continue on," she said. "So as a police agency, we have to do the same."

McKinnon said that starting this spring break, the police service instead began putting out a "visible presence" near the stores as a deterrent.

"We listen to the community and understand the frustration not only for the people that are attending stores to make their own purchases, but for the people who work in these stores," she said.

"They're very fearful, they're frustrated … and the safety of their employees is actually paramount when it comes to this issue."

The Retail Council of Canada, one of the partners in the anti-theft initiative, said members have recently reported they've seen a recent three-fold increase in the number of harassment and violent incidents. It's estimated only about 30 per cent of incidents in the province get reported, the council said.

The Retail Council estimates about $200 million worth of goods are stolen in Manitoba each year.

The area around Kildonan Crossing was one of the spots police originally targeted with their initiative.

Nicole Chartrand is the assistant manager of the Dene Cree Designs gift shop at nearby Kildonan Place mall. She said she's noticed there have been more incidents in the last couple of months compared to previous years, even in what she said is a pretty quiet area in the mall.

"Bigger stores are, like, more of a problem … like Shoppers Drug Mart," she said.

"You see, like, lots of like security around it. Police are going there quite often. I've definitely seen people [with] weapons on them and stuff."

Rob Gardner, owner of Winnipeg Outfitters, said incidents have become so violent that the store now asks customers to show ID before they enter the discount outlet on McPhillips Street, just north of Notre Dame Avenue.

"The shoplifters have become more brazen as of late, and they don't hesitate to tell you that they are … armed and will use force to leave the building with the product that they're trying to steal," Gardner said.