Winnipeg police plan to stop Grinches from stealing holiday shopping joy

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Peggy

Winnipeggers out shopping for holiday gifts will notice more police officers at stores and shopping centres across the city, police say.

“We do not want the Grinch to steal our holiday shopping season,” Winnipeg police Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said at a news conference at Polo Park mall on Wednesday.

The police force is putting more officers in holiday hot spots like malls and other retail hubs on busy days, which are Thursday to Sunday, she said.

Officers will also be present around mom and pop shops at other times of the week.

The increased police presence is part of the ongoing retail theft initiative that puts officers in crime hot spots around stores. It started in November 2023 and expanded in June 2024 with extra funding from the provincial government.

Retail theft has had a “significant” impact on Winnipeggers and local businesses, McKinnon said.

Yello caution tape surrounds a bench in a shopping mall. — Yellow tape crosses the mall inside Polo Park on Nov. 27, after two men were stabbed. (Felisha Adam/CBC)

Officers will be visible during the holiday season, she said, with both uniformed officers and plainclothes officers donning Winnipeg police jackets and badges.

Visible officers make people feel safer when retail hubs are busy, she said

“We want you to come out, we want you to enjoy shopping. You need to get those gifts under your trees and we want our officers to be out. We want them to be present. We want you to see them and we want you to feel safe,” she said.

The initiative has continued to adapt. Last Christmas, it used covert officers, and then during spring break, they tried being more visible and found it was more successful, McKinnon said.

Officers from the major crimes division, community relations and community support units all participate in the retail theft initiative.

A man in a grey suit and a blue dress shirt, with grey hair and a beard. — Polo Park Mall general manager Peter Havens says opportunities for theft increase when staff are busy. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

The Winnipeg police community relations team will continue talking with retailers and the business community about safety, prevention and reporting, McKinnon said.

Peter Havens, general manager for CF Polo Park mall, said increased police presence helps create a safe and enjoyable environment where people can focus on the joy of the season.

Havens said the Christmas season is a busy time for both shoppers and criminals, but he believes the added police presence will act as a deterrent.

“The opportunities for theft increase because, you know, staff are busy, but it hasn’t felt any worse than any one year before. But it does increase at this time of year,” he said.

Province boosts funding for Winnipeg retail theft initiative

5 months ago

Duration 2:11

An anti-theft initiative started on a temporary basis in Winnipeg last month is being extended through the summer with a total of $1.16 million in funding from the provincial government.