Plain-clothes RCMP officers pursued shoplifters at Superstore and Walmart in St. Albert on Sunday.
It was part of a blitz that St. Albert RCMP conducted to deter thefts, which are becoming a “growing problem for local businesses,” according to an RCMP press release.
RCMP did not have data on hand to share with the Gazette regarding the number of thefts that have been reported recently or whether thefts were rising. However police have been working closely with Superstore, which recently scaled up theft enforcement, according to Cpl. Morgan Kyle.
RCMP arrested seven shoplifters and doled out two warnings, two trespass notices and three charges for theft under $5,000, the release says. Six shoplifters were adults, and one was under 18.
“If the [shoplifter] had a history, certainly a warning would not be applicable,” Kyle said. “But if they've never dealt with that person before, or if it was a lower cost item, they might have given them a warning … and given them the benefit of the doubt.”
The amount of stolen merchandise totalled over $1,000, the press release says.
Kyle didn’t have a breakdown of which items the shoplifters stole because “the files were incomplete,” she said. But she wanted to notify the public early because social media users were circulating messages that officers in civilian clothes with guns were arresting people at the two stores.
“I don't want people to think that people just run around Walmart with guns on their waist, because actually, it was police officers,” she said.
Police targeted “high retail crime locations” in the city, according to the release.
Shoplifters are often taking food, cosmetics and tools, Kyle said. “It depends on who it is that's taking stuff and what they're looking for.”
Reports of shoplifting have increased across the country as inflation limits the average Canadian's purchasing power.
A Leger poll from August 2023 found Canadians were supportive of retailers using security cameras, alarms and security guards to deter theft. However, far fewer Canadians supported more intrusive strategies such as forcing customers to leave bags in a locker before entering a store or requiring customers show ID to make a purchase.
