BONNYVILLE - Although liquor theft is a problem in the area, local RCMP and business owners aren’t convinced that a new ID scanning program is the answer.
A recently launched pilot project and working group are aimed at addressing a province-wide problem: liquor theft.
Last week, Alcanna Inc. and Patronscan announced they would be testing identification-scanning technology, while the Government of Alberta committed to addressing the issue through the creation of a working group consisting of law enforcement, provincial government officials, and those in the industry.
As part of their pilot project, Patronscan is being implemented at Alcanna-operated Edmonton liquor stores, including Liquor Depot, ACE Liquor, and Wine and Beyond. It requires shoppers to scan their identification before the doors of the establishment will even open.
“It’s designed to deter the theft from ever happening in the first place because it makes it so the customer has to meet a certain criteria before they’re even allowed to enter the store. I think the door remains locked, they have to scan their ID, and if they’re not on the red flag list they’re allowed in by security,” described Bonnyville RCMP S/Sgt. Sarah Parke. “Whether that would be successful in Bonnyville, I think the issue isn’t whether or not it works, it’s whether or not Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner will approve it.”
Just days after the pilot project was announced, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner issued its intent to conduct an independent investigation to determine whether the use of this technology in liquor stores is compliant with Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act.
“I believe there are some concerns that they have with the current Patronscan sites in Edmonton, because those are devices that are collecting personal information. (The commissioner’s office) weren’t in a position to review or assess this pilot project before it was implemented, so there are some concerns, I believe, (they have) with it. I think those will need to be addressed before Patronscan expands into other stores,” Parke said.
Sonny’s Liquor Store owner Sal Naim also wasn’t confident this program would be the solution liquor stores were looking for.
“Would we do it? I don’t know. I think it’s one of those things where everyone has to jump on board in order for it to make sense,” he noted.
In 2019, Bonnyville RCMP responded to 23 thefts from liquor stores within their detachment area, 16 of which resulted in charges.
“On the other seven, they were unsolved, so our clearance rates for those are relatively good, and that’s in part due to either the liquor store employee recognizing and being able to identify the suspect because they’re known to them, or through video surveillance inside of the store,” stated Parke.
Cold Lake RCMP experienced 50 incidences last year, however, “those numbers probably don’t reflect the actual number of offences,” expressed Sgt. Ryan Howrish.
He described liquor theft as an under reported crime.
“If someone goes in and steals a $10 bottle, liquor stores, because it happens quite a bit, they recognize that the likelihood of finding out who did it is low, so I think they aren’t phoning in,” outlined Howrish. “In order to proceed we need to get video and whatnot, and sometimes I think that gets a little frustrating for the victims of property crime… But, I believe those types of thefts are being under reported.”
This issue isn’t isolated to the Lakeland, stressed Parke, adding there could be “several contributing factors including addictions, mental health issues, financial strain.”
Naim noted it could also be due to the economic struggles people are facing.
“I think a good economy will help minimize a lot of those issues, and we, like a lot of other businesses, take the safety of our staff and employees as paramount, and our customers as well,” expressed Naim. “It’s a problem that I don’t think consumers really appreciate how much of an impact it has on their cost and the price they pay for goods and services.”
Regardless of why liquor theft is happening, stores like Naim’s are doing what they can to prevent it.
“For my store specifically, we find that just based on some of the security measures we’ve put in place without them being obvious… it’s a lot like creating an inconvenience, like prepaid gas,” he told the Nouvelle.
Sonny’s Liquor is one of the many stores that has followed the advice of the RCMP by installing high quality video surviellance systems.
In addition, Naim has implemented a few of this own anti-theft techniques.
“There’s a lot of things like design and layout (of the store), placement of some of our anti-theft technology, we do have ways that we’re combating the issue,” he said. “I think because of that, we’ve been less exposed to it than other locations.”
Parke stressed that the programs such as Patronscan aim to address the issue of shoplifting, not robbery.
“A robbery involves an element of violence towards a victim, whether it be an employee or another customer in the store. I think what we’re talking about... pertains to liquor store thefts.”
Testing the waters on Patronscan isn’t the only efforts the province is taking to address the concern. They’ve also created a working group dedicated to combating liquor store robberies and thefts in Alberta.
The group is made-up of Leduc-Beaumont MLA Brad Rutherford, members of the Alberta Liquor Store Association, Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, RCMP “K” Division, the director of compliance with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission, and representatives from the Justice and Solicitor General’s office.
They will be tasked with considering actions to deter liquor store thefts including security features, enforcement strategies, legal measures, and deterrence efforts.
“Criminals and gangs are preying on hard-working, law-abiding Albertans and business owners. Our government will work with our partners in law enforcement and in the industry to deter liquor store thefts through better prevention and ensuring appropriate consequences for perpetrators,” exclaimed Doug Schweitzer, Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General in a statement.
