Retail crime continues to be a top-of-mind difficulty for legislation enforcement and enterprise homeowners in Winnipeg, however the remainder of the province is feeling the results as effectively.
Brandon, Man., police chief Tyler Bates says native police have been engaged on the issue — with over 50 arrests made and $10,000 in property recovered in a latest crackdown.
Bates mentioned in his opinion, the perfect answer for the long-term can be a extra proactive strategy from police.
“I actually don’t wish to sit again and reactively cope with a police service that’s simply responding to name after name within the downtown district,” he mentioned, “the place 30 per cent of our calls proceed to be inside a small radius.
“I’d relatively have a look at what efforts we may collectively make investments from a prevention standpoint.”
Bates mentioned legislation enforcement in Manitoba’s second-largest metropolis must be addressing root causes, but in addition studying from the provincial capital so far as what works and what doesn’t within the struggle towards theft and different retail crime.
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“I might say that Winnipeg is the canary within the coal mine if you’ll,” he mentioned.
“After we see traits which might be rising in Winnipeg, it speaks to us right here in Brandon as to the steps we have to take in order that we don’t mirror that sample of actions.”
In response to Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett, the problem within the Wheat Metropolis isn’t that there’s an extra of offenders, however relatively it’s a number of incidents brought on by the identical few individuals.”
“Now we have plenty of repeat — that may be a large piece of what we’ve got, it’s the identical individuals inflicting the identical issues,” Fawcett mentioned.
“It’s not even essentially violent issues, it’s simply this repeated theft… and the truth that the companies are having to purchase safety, and there’s totally different ranges of safety for those who get into that.”
Fawcett mentioned Brandon’s police power is in search of extra help from the province to assist curb retail theft and that metropolis officers are hoping the Manitoba authorities can match the helps it has arrange in Winnipeg to handle the problem.
Brandon’s retail theft initiative, which started earlier in 2025, acquired funding as much as March of this 12 months.
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