Winnipeg businesses want to see retail theft initiative expanded into other areas

Kailynn Gregorash is used to keeping most items in her West End business under lock and key.

Gregorash tells Global News her business, Cobra Collectibles on Sargent Avenue, has been hit by thieves repeatedly.

“One the worst situations I’ve had personally is we did have someone attempt to rob this place, and they threatened me with a hunting knife,” she said.

“We had a group of five people come in and rob the place, just came in with bags and started taking whatever they could. They took our tip jar, they had us put the money from the till into the jar and took that. It was pretty brutal.”

Gregorash says they’ve enhanced security in the business, with things like cameras and automatic locks.

“We know it’s going to happen, we kind of plan accordingly, we can’t stop theft from happening,” Gregorash said.

“We mostly just hope that when people come in they see we’re a really friendly environment and we’re really friendly people and they won’t want to steal from us, but we’ve had so much theft.”

However, Gregorash says the province’s retail theft initiative, aimed at the West End, downtown, and the Osborne neighbourhoods, has helped. She would like to see it become a permanent fixture.

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“We’ve noticed a big improvement… it’s been pretty peaceful,” she added. “Actually we really appreciate the officers being here.”

Loren Remillard, the president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, says he’s also heard positive feedback on the initiative.

“They are definitely seeing a reduction in incidents of crime showing up on their doorstep,” Remillard told Global News. “Is it a long term permanent solution? Probably not, but we are very pleased with the results we’re seeing to date.”

“By having a police presence, you’re not going to prevent all the crime, but you’re going to deter a lot of it if people see the actual presence, if you see officers walking the street,” Remillard added.

Rui Dias has had his share of crime and theft at his West Kildonan computer repair shop, Nothing But Tech.

“I’ve been here for almost five years. First year was a break in, fully on,  put me to the ground with a machete type thing,” he said.

Dias has experienced several other break and enters and thefts since then.

“It takes the motivation of what I do out of me. It really does, every time it happens,” he said.

“It hurts. This is my business, I work really hard to do what I want to do… and for someone to just walk in and take it all, it hurts. It hurts to a point where it makes me cry. It hurts a lot.”

Dias says he would like to see more officers interacting with businesses in other parts of the city, and an enhanced police presence at night, when most of these thefts are occurring.

“I would like to see that type of stuff happen here in my area,” Dias said.

“Cops walking the streets, coming into the shops, talking to the owners like myself, and then introducing themselves, knowing them, that would be cool.”

2:48 Manitoba Premier announces $774K for Winnipeg’s Retail Theft Initiative to help cut down crime

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