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‘Always a target,’ says victim of liquor store theft

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ST. PAUL - The Alberta government has established a working group to examine the recent spike in crimes targeting liquor stores.

Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer made the announcement in Edmonton on Jan. 20, where he also announced Brad Rutherford, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont, will chair the working group.

“Criminals and gangs are preying on hard-working, law-abiding Albertans and business owners,” Schweitzer said. “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 the perpetrators.”

In addition to thefts costing retailers in financial losses, for Heather Canan, a supervisor at Weasel’s Liquor, it is also a safety issue for herself and her employees.

“In this industry, everybody is always a target,” Canan said, “It’s just something we have to deal with a lot, unfortunately.”

Just the day before Canan spoke to the Journal on Jan. 23, the store was robbed during daylight by the same person had allegedly robbed the store a week prior, according to Canan.

“Our store is a small store, and at least 95 per cent of our customers are regulars,” Canan said. “Those are not the ones who steal from us, it’s someone that we don’t know.”

“They just come in, grab what they want, wait until the cashier is behind the till with another customer, and they just leave with whatever they’ve picked up.”

Six months ago, another individual attempted to break into the store overnight, Canan said. The suspect allegedly broke the glass but was unsuccessful in entering the store due to bars in place across the door.

“We try to be extra vigilant, and make sure our staff knows not to chase robbers out the store,” she said.

Employees also play velcro-cashier, she explained, meaning if staff are aware that the customer is someone they don’t know, they stay very close to them and ask them if they need help.

“Sometimes, we ask for their I.D. and hold onto it until they leave,” Canan said. “That’s pretty much the best thing we can do.”

But, even this is not a deterrent to potential thieves because “they don’t care.”

“It is very unlikely they are going to get picked up, and if they do, what happens to them is very minimal – it’s depressing," she added. “Breaches of the law should be more punishable."

Though the number of thefts the store faces presently is low, the store falls victim to thefts more in the summer, Canan said, where at one point it occurred every day, sometimes twice a day.

Criminal offense

If someone were to steal a bottle of alcohol it would be considered theft under $5,000, said Sgt. David Graham of the St. Paul Detachment, contrary to Section 334(b) of the Criminal Code.

“It is a hybrid offence,” Graham said. “Which means the prosecutor could choose to go by way of summary conviction offence or an indictable offence.”

This is chosen usually by seriousness and harm caused, he explained, adding, “The penalty would be a fine of up to $5,000 or six months in jail or both."

“The police also have the authority to recommend extrajudicial measures for instances where the crime is minor in nature and the person committing has little involvement with the justice system and takes the responsibility for their actions, Graham said. “This would help steer them away from the Justice system and keep them from having a criminal record.

According to Graham, the Town of St. Paul recorded 33 liquor store thefts in 2019.

Working group

While Rutherford will chair the working group, other representatives include those from law enforcement, liquor retailers, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis and the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service.

The group will weigh a broad range of actions to deter liquor store thefts, including security features for stores, enforcement strategies, legal measures and deterrence measures, as well as steps taken in other jurisdictions, according to the government.

Edmonton police responded to more than 9,500 liquor store thefts in 2019, triple the 3,273 reported in 2018, according to information from the provincial government.

 

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