A man and woman are in jail for stealing 47 pairs of pants from a Robson Street store in Downtown Vancouver.
Both entered the store wearing face-masks on Friday afternoon and stole the pants that had a retail value of $5,783.
A staff member immediately called 9-1-1 and safely followed the suspects until police arrived and arrested them.
The man, a 44-year-old chronic shoplifter, was breaching five court orders for previous thefts.
The woman accomplice was also violating a court order that prohibited her from entering the store she had just stolen from.
Both were taken to jail, and VPD officers returned the stolen merchandise.
The two were among 32 people arrested by VPD in weekend shoplifting clampdown. VPD has recovered nearly $18,000 in stolen property this past weekend, as officers work to curb a concerning spike in violent thefts throughout the downtown core.
“Store owners and their staff are losing thousands of dollars every day to shoplifters. After a number of violent encounters, many are telling us they don’t feel safe coming to work,” says Sergeant Steve Addison.
“That’s why the VPD has stepped up shoplifting enforcement.”
Though shoplifting remains vastly under-reported, Vancouver Police have seen a surge in people using violence while stealing from stores. Cases involving weapons – things like knives, needles and bear spray – have shot up 550 per cent since 2019.
Commercial robberies have gone up 126 per cent during that same time.
“These victims are often young staff members, store managers, and security guards – people just trying to make a living,” adds Sergeant Addison. “They shouldn’t be subjected to violence for simply doing their jobs.”
A dollar-store security guard tried to stop a shoplifter and was threatened with a butcher knife recently, and a man brandished a weapon at a 24-7 convenience store and walked out with a box of donuts.
Both men were arrested.
