Shoplifting increases in St. Thomas

The St. Thomas Police Service is issuing an alert to local retailers as police deal with a rapid increase in shoplifting cases in recent years.

It’s no surprise to staff at Purely Wicked, a novelty store on Talbot Street. They say they often don’t realize they have been victims of shoplifting until it is too late.

“A lot of small items go missing,” longtime employee Jennifer Childs said. “Our crystal table is where we noticed a lot of sticky fingers. We will only find out that an item is missing when we only have one of them and someone has made it online, we went out to try to find it for someone’s order and it has disappeared. You know, it costs us money,” she said.

St. Thomas police say there was a 23 percent increase in shoplifting calls in 2023 compared to 2022.

In an email to CTV News, Corporate Communications Coordinator Samantha Wakefield said that for this year, “the service is projecting to see the same level of shoplifting calls reported for service as in 2023.”

A St. Thomas Police notice to local retailers said “newly released national crime statistics show a 28 per cent increase in shoplifting incidents under $5,000 across Canada. In total, Canada experienced 155,280 reported incidents of shoplifting in 2023, marking an 18 per cent increase from 2022.”

CTV public safety analyst Chris Lewis speaks to CTV News on October 24, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

CTV News Public Safety Analyst and retired OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said there are many factors contributing to the rise in shoplifting, including economic factors.

“It’s a sign that people are paying higher prices for things, perhaps not earning as much as they should to pay all their bills, and subsequently resorting to stealing. And the other cases are people looking for the easy way out and stealing things instead of getting jobs and trying to earn them,” Lewis explained.

Many stores, including large chains, have instructed employees not to intervene if they observe shoplifting.

“Is it the responsibility of the clerk or security guard who earns little more than minimum wage to get into physical fights? I don’t believe it is,” Lewis said.

Not all stores fall victim to thieves and this has a lot to do with taking preventive measures.

Dan Tolman of St. Thomas Pawn Shop stands in front of surveillance monitors in his store on Oct. 24, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

On Talbot Street in St. Thomas, owners Dan and Judith Tolman have learned to deal with the scourge of shoplifting over 20 years in business and to take their safety seriously. You cannot go near the store or move anywhere within the store without being photographed.

“We don’t have a lot of robberies here,” Judith explained. “We have 23 cameras, bars on the windows, we know our customers and they respect us,” she said.

However, when it comes to shoplifting, both police and retailers say that, in the end, everyone pays.

“It’s not fair to other customers,” said Jennifer Childs of Purely Wicked. “We don’t want to have to raise prices if we can avoid it.”