'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 needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.