A Toronto police vehicle is shown parked on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto on Jan. 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/Doug Ives
The Toronto Police Service’s specialized retail crime unit has made 546 arrests and laid 4,033 charges since it was established two years ago, the service announced on Wednesday.
Police also recovered more than $1.6 million in stolen merchandise linked to investigations, according to an Aug. 5 news release.
The arrests and charges form part of the Toronto Police Service’s ongoing efforts to combat organized retail crime across North Etobicoke. Police established a dedicated Organized Retail Crime Unit to work with businesses on addressing a surge in retail thefts.
“The unit created a direct and consistent point of contact for retailers and introduced a streamlined reporting process,” the release said.
One of the goals of the unit was to hold prolific offenders accountable, Superintendent Ron Taverner said.
Speaking at a news conference on Aug. 5, police Chief Myron Demkiw said that retail businesses in Canada lose “billions of dollars” annually to retail crime.
Commenting on the work of the retail crime unit, Demkiw said that just one of its investigations had resulted in 20 individuals arrested and more than 400 charges being laid.
“This work is essential to disrupting organized crime, which often relies on proceeds from these crimes to fund other criminal activity,” he said.
During the press conference, Taverner presented surveillance footage of thefts at retail sites including locations of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Shopper’s Drug Mart, and Walmart. In one clip at a Walmart store, passersby and store security attempt to stop an alleged thief who then sprays them with pepper spray.
“In all of these cases, our investigators made arrests. Our investigations show that many of those involved are not first-time offenders,” Taverner said.
“In fact, of the arrests we made, 259 cleared multiple cases, demonstrating that repeat and prolific offenders are out there and active in their criminal activities.”
Rui Rodrigues of the Retail Council of Canada expressed concerns about violence impacting retail employees.
“Here in Toronto and across Canada, we are seeing clear and troubling trends: an increase in aggression and violence toward retail staff,” he said.
Rodrigues said stolen goods were ending up in online marketplaces and informal resale networks, and echoed Taverner’s comment that many of those arrested for retail theft have been repeat offenders.
“We need legislative changes. It’s been great to see Bill C-14 come into fruition this July. We now see it implemented with things like reverse onus being utilized, aggregated charges being applied,” he said.
“But momentum is only the beginning. What Canada needs now is consistency, consistent enforcement, consistent prosecution.”
Bill C-14, officially known as the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, came into force on July 15 and amends the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the National Defence Act to enforce stricter bail rules and tougher penalties for violent and repeat offenders.
