Businesses in Winnipeg react to data from the violent crime and retail theft initiative

New statistics were released at a recent Winnipeg police board meeting outlining the results of the violent crime and retail theft initiative from over the summer.

From June 8 to October 31 of this year, police arrested almost 800 people, and recovered over 65-thousand dollars in stolen merchandise. For many small businesses, it’s a step in the right direction.

“I’m glad to see they’re at least taking retailers seriously.  You know? It’s not just large scale property crimes that affect people.  The city is at risk of losing all their convenience stores because nobody can make a living selling chocolate bars anymore.  I’m in the board game business, and we run a pretty tight ship here, and we see crime, people are coming in stealing board games for crying out loud,” said Scott Tackaberry, Owner of Game Knight Games.

The initiative aimed to deliver a three pronged approach that included targeted enforcement, visible presence, and engagement with business organizations. 

Jennifer Hofer’s Eternal Beauty Institute in the city’s west end is no stranger to crime, the business experienced two break ins within a three week span over the summer. While she says more police on the street is a good thing, the problem is much deeper rooted. 

“Obviously more police presence is a good thing, it will deter, 100%.  But I don’t think that is actually the solution to this issue.  I think the issue is when these people are caught, and they get into the court system the majority get a slap on the wrist and get released. They’re not punished, and I would like to know actually what the number would be on repeat arrests, like how many times are they arresting the same person,” said Hofer.

The Winnipeg Police Service announced that a similar approach would be used in the holiday safe shopping initiative, that launched in early December, focused on busy shopping centres.