Event spotlights rise in retail theft

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This article was published 22/01/2025 (240 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Retail theft is on the rise in Brandon, and this trend has affected small and large businesses alike.

“We see it every day, and sometimes two or three times a week there’s what I would call elevated levels of shoplifting,” Brandon Canadian Tire store owner Glenn Butt said at a Retail Blitz press conference hosted by the Brandon Police Service (BPS) on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s also about creating a safe shopping experience for a customer, a shop, and a safe place for our employees to work,” said Butt, whose experience in retail at Canadian Tire spans more than 23 years.

BPS Chief Tyler Bates and Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe also spoke at the event about the impacts of retail theft, and ongoing work done by law enforcement in collaboration with Brandon’s business community to deter crimes of this nature.

During Tuesday’s event, Bates announced that 70 individuals were arrested for crimes related to retail theft in 2024, and more than $10,000 of stolen property was recovered during the same period.

“The data tells us that while we’ve made a dent, retail theft remains an ongoing issue that continues to evolve,” Bates said on Tuesday before highlighting how important it is to protect local businesses, their employees, and the public at large from retail theft offenders.

“Our ultimate goal is simple. We want to make sure that our Brandon businesses thrive, that employees and citizens feel safe and that our community continues to grow and prosper,” Bates added.

Wiebe referenced a survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which concluded that 54 per cent of retail businesses in Manitoba are impacted by theft. He also cited that 78 per cent of Manitobans do not feel safe and believe crime is on the rise, according to a survey put forth by the Retail Council of Canada (RCC).

“Retail theft and violence has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of far too many Manitobans over the past number of years,” Wiebe admitted on Tuesday.

“Behind these statistics are real people, small business owners, who are telling us that they’re losing customers because they need to lock their doors during business hours,” Wiebe said.

The justice minister also called to attention an $85,000 contribution made to BPS by Manitoba’s NDP government that is intended to specifically address retail theft. He also mentioned that his government is investing $221 million for municipalities across Manitoba to make up for rising costs and years of a funding freeze. He said that $8.9 million of that amount will go directly to BPS in support of efforts to protect residents in the Wheat City.

The president of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce also told the Sun on Tuesday that the city’s business community has also reported a marked increase in retail theft.

“Retail theft certainly has increased. We had a meeting with the police chief just within the past month or so, and definitely that was one of the conversations we had with him,” Lois Ruston said, emphasizing the role played by BPS in protecting businesses and their customers.

Ruston also told the Sun that Manitoba’s provincial government has recognized the need to install more security cameras, which protects businesses and discourages offenders from stealing because they know their every move is being recorded.

“We work and we advocate with all levels of government for a variety of issues. So last year, we were pleased to see the initiative for security cameras rolled out by the provincial government,” Ruston said before acknowledging the importance of teamwork between law enforcement, the provincial government, local business owners and residents of Brandon who are all working toward a common goal — ensuring the safety and vitality of retail enterprises in Brandon.

» dstein@brandonsun.com

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