'Double dipping in loss': Shoplifting on the rise in Waterloo region
Shoplifting appears to be on the rise in Waterloo region, according to Waterloo regional police and staff at a local grocery store, and inflation could be partly to blame.
Staff at the Upper Village Market in Kitchener said by the time they catch shoplifters on their security cameras, it’s often too late.
“What can I do? I try to stop them and it doesn't work out. I run behind him, it doesn't work out,” admitted Rakesh Patel, the store’s director.
Patel said it may have something to do with product prices rising due to inflation, leaving some customers frustrated.
“People don't have that much money in their pocket, especially kids,” Patel said.
In 2022 he lost a few thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise because of shoplifting, and one incident sticks out in his mind.
“Last year we had a bad experience. We sell fireworks here. One kid ran… [with a] $300 box,” Patel said. “So that kind of stuff I'm seeing for the first time in seven years.”
The security cameras at Upper Village Market. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)
Waterloo regional police provided CTV News with data from the last few years. The data shows shoplifting cases have climbed every year since 2020. In 2020 there were 2,177 cases of shoplifting thefts under $5,000. In 2021, cases went up by just over a hundred. In 2022 the number of cases jumped by more than a thousand compared to the year before.
Patel said the numbers reported to police in Waterloo region may be even higher because he said it is not always worth the hassle of reporting minor thefts.
He admits he doesn’t call the cops and admitted the same goes for trying to get the money back through insurance.
“The problem is when you call insurance companies they say 'oh you put [in] a claim, we'll increase your premium by 20 per cent,'” Patel said. “So it’s a double dipping in loss.”
So while the price for just about everything has gone up – it’s clear some aren’t paying at all. Which means retailers are the ones on the hook.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.