Victoria police made 20 arrests and recovered more than $25,000 in merchandise stolen from one retailer during a three-day operation on the 500-block of Johnson Street in downtown Victoria last week.
One of the individuals arrested in the first two days of the blitz was initially released, only to return on the third day to steal another $260 worth of merchandise. That suspect was then held in custody, police said; most of the others have been released pending future court dates.
Officers from the patrol division worked with loss-prevention staff at the unnamed business from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18, VicPD said.
Over half the suspects arrested were alleged to have taken more than $1,000 worth of items each, with one person found in possession of products worth a total of $3,400.
Three suspects were found to have outstanding arrest warrants from various jurisdictions in the region.
Police also issued a driver a 24-hour prohibition for impairment by drugs during the operation, after the driver helped a theft suspect who was fleeing from officers to load stolen items into a vehicle.
In January, a drug-trafficking investigation led Victoria police to a sophisticated retail-theft ring in which individuals would steal goods in exchange for drugs.
Police said that in some cases, items would be specifically requested by those running the ring.
Const. Terri Healy said police don’t have any information about whether a similar operation was at work in the Johnson Street cases.
Another three-day crackdown on retail theft late last year led to 17 shoplifting arrests, weapon seizures and the recovery of about $5,000 worth of stolen goods.
The effort involved plainclothes officers patrolling stores at the Hillside and Mayfair shopping centres and in the downtown area from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
Stolen items found included high-end jackets and athletic wear, Lego and other toys.
Some past incidents have involved staff being bear-sprayed or threatened with knives.
In May 2021, a loss-prevention officer was stabbed while trying to stop a suspected shoplifter at the Canadian Tire store in Hillside shopping centre.
Victoria police said in a statement that the latest enforcement effort was in response to ongoing concerns from local businesses about the impact of regular retail theft on business operations and staff safety.
“Shoplifting continues to be an issue for businesses in Victoria and Esquimalt and VicPD is committed to continuing to address this problem in partnership with our community,” the statement said.
Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bruce Williams said retail theft downtown “gets all the attention because that’s where the highest concentration of business is,” but it’s not solely a downtown problem.
Williams said the bulk of retail thefts are done by a very small number of people and add to the cost of doing business no matter what the location.
The thieves can be difficult for businesses to deal with, he said. “They’re fearless, they’re on a mission.”
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