Toronto Police have made 546 arrests and laid 4,033 charges in a retail crime probe that has seen more than $1.6 million in merchandise stolen across north Etobicoke.
In response to a rise in retail thefts, police set up an Organized Retail Crime Unit two years ago. Video provided by police shows thieves carrying bags and suitcases into an LCBO and making off with stolen booze, as well as walking out of a Shopper's Drug Mart with bags of stolen goods and using pepper spray on employees and passersby while leaving a Walmart.
Of the 546 arrests made, 259 cleared multiple cases, demonstrating that repeat and prolific offenders are active in their criminal activities. The accused are connected to large organized crime networks involved in the distribution and resale of stolen goods, with stolen liquor, clothing, and jewelry from smash-and-grab heists often ending up at one location and being quickly resold in person or online or shipped overseas.
The Retail Council of Canada has reported a significant increase in the reseller market and illicit market, with the online marketplace and networks allowing for the easy sale of goods. This has led to clear and troubling trends, including an increase in violence towards retail staff, organized groups moving quickly across municipal boundaries and transit corridors, and stolen goods being pushed into online marketplaces and informal resale networks.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw has stated that retail theft hurts big chains and mom-and-pop shops alike, and makes people feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods. He also believes that the punishment does not fit the crime, with the cost benefit of doing the crime versus the consequences tipped in the wrong way.
The Retail Council of Canada is calling for consistent enforcement, prosecution, and use of the Criminal Code to target retail criminals. They believe that Ontario needs a provincially funded joint force operation dedicated to retail crime, and that the focus should be on the organized, prolific, and repeat offenders who cause the majority of the issues.
