Reported retail thefts in the city rose sharply in 2023, and numbers for the first three months of 2024 suggest that this year could see even more cases of petty crime.
Retail thefts reported to RCMP and thefts in which RCMP apprehended shoplifters rose 42 per cent last year to 229 incidents in 2023 from 161 incidents in 2022, according to data from St. Albert RCMP.
But incidents in the first three months of 2024 doubled in comparison to the previous two years. The data shows 72 shoplifting incidents were either stopped by police or reported to police between January and March of this year.
By comparison, the first three months of 2022 and 2023 saw 36 and 37 incidents, respectively.
Most thefts are happening in the city’s large retail chains, said RCMP Cst. MJ Burroughs in an email.
The top items targeted by shoplifters are meat, electronics, power tools, cosmetics and fragrances, Burroughs said.
In March, St. Albert RCMP conducted a shoplifting blitz at Walmart and Superstore. However, Burroughs doesn’t think that the blitz is the sole reason for this year’s high numbers.
Police caught only nine shoplifters over the course of the day-long operation.
Burroughs said it was the first blitz undertaken by RCMP “in recent years.”
How much does shoplifting cost retailers?
“A lot of people are under tremendous financial pressure due to the cost of living,” said Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab. “It’s not just about food prices, and so that's why I think there's more of a focus on theft, unfortunately.”
Charlebois said that it’s difficult to know to what extent increased shoplifting is truly harming the bottom line of major retail chains in Canada. That’s because chains haven’t provided any numbers, he said.
“You want to foster that contract you have with the public as much as possible, and I haven't seen efforts in that area,” he said. “Make it transparent. Explain the extent of the problem.”
Charlebois believes Canadian customers are unlikely to feel comfortable with severe shoplifting deterrence strategies such as heavy security guard presence, police officers or receipt checks.
He also hasn’t seen any evidence to suggest these strategies are effective.
“I think people kind of feel guilty when they are checked without breaking the law,” he said. “The Canadian way is to trust people.”
