Police launch ‘Retail Theft Pilot’ to address organized retail theft at Rideau Centre, downtown stores

The sign outside Ottawa Police headquarters on Elgin St. is seen in this undated photo. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service is looking to crackdown on retail theft at stores in the Rideau Centre and across downtown Ottawa, focusing on organized theft at stores.

The new Retail Theft Pilot was launched on April 1, which will aim to “identify patterns of coordinated theft,” according to police.

“In which groups steal merchandise in large quantities, often totalling thousands of dollars, from retailers and resell the goods for profit,” the Ottawa Police Service said in a media release.

“These incidents can include smaller items taken in bulk and can have a significant financial impact on businesses, often linking across multiple locations.”

The Retail Theft Pilot is a collaboration between police and CF Rideau Centre and its retailers. Police say a “small, dedicated team” will track repeat activity and focus enforcement efforts.”

“Investigators are reviewing incidents where merchandise is taken in large quantities and believed to be resold through organized channels, including cases where smaller items are stolen in bulk and accumulate to significant losses,” police said.

“This coordinated approach allows officers in the community to remain visible and responsive, while ensuring more complex investigations receive focused attention.”

Police say since the Retail Theft Pilot launched on April 1, the unit has supported approximately 300 charges related to theft and repeating offending, and “helped consolidate more than 100 retail theft files” that will improve the ability to identify patterns and connections between theft incidents.

The pilot project will run until the end of September.

Last September, police launched “Operation Robin Hood” with respond to a spike in thefts at the Rideau Centre. Three people were charged in connection to the theft of $75,000 worth of merchandise that was stolen from stores in the mall.

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