Officials with the Retail Council of Canada are taking a two-day trip around New Brunswick to speak with various municipal and police officials about the rise in organized and violent retail theft happening in the province. Atlantic director of the council Jim Cormier and executive advisor of Loss Prevention and Risk Management Rui Rodrigues met with Fredericton Mayor Steve Hicks on Wednesday. On Thursday, the pair addressed the New Brunswick Association of Chiefs of Police in Saint John and finished the day in Moncton with conversations with Mayor Shawn Crossman, and the Codiac Regional Policing Authority. “We’re not talking about the kid that’s stealing the candy bar,” says Cormier on the discussions. “We’re talking about organized retail theft, where they’re stealing products that they can easily resell, and it’s going to help fund other types of illicit activities.” Cormier says in recent years there has been an increased interest and willingness by officials to take action to combat the theft troubles. He says it’s important to get the perspective of officials to learn more about what they have been hearing and have collaborative conversations to solve the issues. He acknowledges while cities like Fredericton and Moncton may not compare to the theft scene in bigger cities like Toronto or Montreal, it doesn’t mean retailers in New Brunswick aren’t getting “ripped off” on a daily basis. “What we often see in the bigger centers, a few years later, it starts to happen here,” says Cormier. “We’re now starting to see smash and grabs in Atlantic Canada for the first time. That used to be something that only happened in the bigger central Canadian cities, now you’re seeing it happen here. That’s a huge problem, and it’s something that we need to help address.” Susie Hines is the owner of Hats on the Square, which is located in Market Square in Saint John. She says in the past two weeks she has dealt with a pair of thefts at her store. She has also seen presumed organized criminals come in to scout her stock. “I’ve had an incident where a gentleman actually walked in… and he actually videotaped the store and tried various doors to see if they were locked,” says Hines. “Obviously, he was scouting it out.” As a small business owner, she says any stolen item can have an impact on business. Hearing that criminals are becoming craftier when it comes to stealing is the last thing she wants to hear. “It’s very concerning because it’s not a mindset that I have, so I can’t be one step ahead of them.” Rui Rodrigues says retailers have lots of options to help deter organized and violent crime. That includes hiring additional security and installing cameras, which he understands not every business can afford. As for what items organized theft criminals are targeting these days, Rodrigues says just about everything is up for grabs, but the most popular items are ones that can easily be resold. “The reason organized retail crime is successful is because people buy stolen goods,” Rodrigues says. “So, when people are purchasing, if it’s not from a legitimate online platform on a legitimate business, you should question what you’re purchasing because there’s a likelihood unknowingly, you’re buying stolen goods.” He says when it comes to determining if an item on an online marketplace is an item that was stolen by an organized criminal, he says deals that seem too good to be true are easy indicators. He also says you can ask the seller more questions about the history of the item to learn more about if it may have been stolen. He says while officials he has spoken to in the province about the problem are ready to make changes, the courts are making the matter difficult. “The increase is really more on the aggressive behavior with the lack of prosecutions dealing with these matters in a serious way,” says Rodrigues. “Because it gets treated like retail crime is just property crime, it’s low-level crime. Individuals are released same day in, they’re back out re-offending.” The Retail Council says they will continue to collaborate with businesses, police forces, and multiple levels of government to find more solutions to help combat the rise of organized retail crime. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
