New public safety unit will tackle retail theft

The Brandon Police Service will receive provincial funding for four new positions to create a public safety unit to help stop retail theft, the Manitoba government has confirmed.

Premier Wab Kinew mentioned the funding during a Q&A session with the Brandon Chamber of Commerce following his State of the Province address in Brandon on Thursday.

“Safety is the fundamental responsibility of government that includes business and people who go to work at businesses,” Kinew told chamber president Jennifer Ludwig.

“We’re at the table right now alongside our municipal and law enforcement partners hammering out the details, but from what I understand, this is going to result in four more officers on the street,” the premier said.

The cost for four police officer positions is typically $600,000 per year, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said Friday, adding that the intent is to have the new unit up and running “as quickly as possible.”

Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said the new public safety unit will focus on retail theft and on “prolific offenders” who are under release orders from the court system.

“It’s been a long work in progress to get to the point where we are today, and we’re certainly happy to hear the province’s continued investment and commitment to addressing this particular public safety issue,” Bates said in an interview Friday.

He said the economic loss is one aspect of the problem in Brandon, but business staff and owners have also been confronted by thieves who sometimes have weapons.

“It’s a public safety issue that we’ve been vocal about in terms of having some dedicated resources that can do this work on a full-time basis,” Bates said.

In 2021, there were 243 reports of shoplifting in Brandon, Bates said. That number rose to 559 in 2024.

“The incidence of this criminality has been explosive.”

Having dedicated sworn officers to target prolific shoplifters and for them to be engaged with the retail sector on a day-to-day basis is “definitely a positive announcement,” he said.

Funding BPS received for combating retail crime over the 2024 holiday season made a big positive difference, he said, with about 70 arrests made and $10,000 in merchandise recovered over two months.

“That’s something that we’re looking forward to having the capacity to confront on a more proactive basis throughout the year,” Bates said.

The province’s $85,000 commitment for that pilot project highlighted the meaningful work dedicated funding would have, he added.

Wiebe said Thursday’s announcement by the premier follows investment for a similar program in Winnipeg announced in late 2024.

Wiebe said that investment “really made a whole community safer.”

“We recognize that there’s need across the province, and then Brandon, what that looks like is four additional officers who will be doing this work, working with businesses, working with community and really just making our communities that much safer,” Wiebe, the MLA for Concordia, told the Sun.

“It’s a successful model. It supports businesses and retailers who have a vested interest, obviously, in driving our economy and making sure that we have vibrant public spaces,” Wiebe said.

Speaking to the Sun on Friday, Ludwig said the premier’s announcement caught her off guard, adding that the new unit will help the retail sector.

“A commitment of four extra officers to help with working on combating (retail theft), and maybe working with some proactive public safety initiatives, that would be great,” Ludwig said.

She said the previous retail pilot project had been “extremely successful” and she’s hopeful this will yield similar results.

“I’m going to think positive and hope for the best,” Ludwig said when asked about what results could come from the extra officers, stressing that the chamber doesn’t have a lot of information about it yet.

“I think moving forward this can be a good thing. We just need more details.”

The chamber raised the alarm over retail theft early last month, voicing its support for a dedicated public safety unit focused on the problem

Ludwig said theft is one of the top issues retailers are dealing with. The problem is common for businesses, large and small, and happens across the city, she said.

“The dollar value … that we hear our members reporting is sometimes astronomical, and that’s just tracking the actual goods that are being stolen,” Ludwig said, adding that staff also worry about their safety.

Bates said while BPS doesn’t currently have a full roster of staff, its recruiting efforts have been “really aggressive,” noting the service is planning to welcome seven new recruits.

He said BPS expects to be able to staff the four new positions.

» alambert@brandonsun.com