Police in the Victoria area say teamwork with Loss Prevention Officers was a key part of a successful campaign against shoplifting.
The West Shore RCMP worked with retailers for six weeks from November to the end of December, arresting 27 people suspected of shoplifting.
Corporal Danny Grieve of the West Shore RCMP Crime Reduction Unit says the cooperation with Loss Prevention Officers was the key to identifying shoplifters inside stores.
During the campaign, the officers would take note of people suspected of shoplifting inside a store and alert RCMP stationed outside, who then made the arrest.
Thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise was returned to stores from as far away as Chilliwack, where the RCMP arrested a chronic offender suspected of multiple thefts from the same retailer.
Of the 27 suspects, nine met the criteria for Restorative Justice, 13 will go through the courts on theft related charges, and five were banned from the store where they were arrested
The RCMP says Victoria’s West Shore recorded 514 reports of shoplifting last year, a 29-percent increase over 2022.
Save Our Streets, a coalition of businesses and concerned citizens in British Columbia says absorbing the cost of retail theft and hiring more security is costing BC families an additional $500 annually.
