North Vancouver RCMP foil attempted cheese theft worth $13,000

Police in North Vancouver say they prevented the theft of nearly $13,000 worth of cheese from a supermarket earlier this year. Now they are asking the public for help in finding the alleged thief.

The incident happened on September 29 at Whole Foods near East 13th Street and Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver RCMP said in a news release Thursday.

Around 4 a.m. that day, frontline officers were conducting “proactive patrols” in the area “when they came across a cart full of cheese,” police said.

“As officers went on foot to investigate, a man appeared from a stairwell connected to Whole Foods and quickly left after seeing the officers,” the press release reads.

“Officers attempted to stop the man as they suspected the cheese had been stolen, but the suspect fled and could not be identified.”

Police continued to investigate and concluded that the suspect had broken into the supermarket and “was in the process of stealing the cheese when officers arrived.”

Whole Foods employees told investigators the cost of the cheese was an estimated $12,800, according to the RCMP.

“Unfortunately, the cheese could no longer be sold after it came out of the refrigerator,” police said in the press release.

Mounties touted the incident as an example of proactive patrols in “high crime areas” to prevent and deter crime.

“This is an example of intelligence-led policing using information provided directly by our crime analysts to respond to emerging crime trends in North Vancouver and beyond,” said Const. Mansoor Sahak, in the release.

“While this was great work by our officers, the investigation is not yet complete. We are releasing CCTV footage of the suspect in the hope that someone recognizes the suspect and calls police.”

Police have asked anyone who recognizes the suspect or has information about the crime to contact them at 604-985-1311 and quote file number 2024-19909. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.