Shoplifting spiked in Winnipeg last year despite increased funding for anti-retail-theft initiatives

CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 12:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The fig of shoplifting incidents reported successful Winnipeg soared past twelvemonth implicit 2023, constabulary say, contempt other backing implicit the past 12 months for accrued constabulary beingness astatine identified retail theft blistery spots. 

Winnipeg constabulary investigated 8,530 reports of shoplifting for nether $5,000 successful 2024 — up 41 per cent from 2023, erstwhile determination were 6,047 reports. 

A study released by the Winnipeg Police Service connected Wednesday offers a look at the fig of incidents and interactions the nationalist had with constabulary successful 2024.

The metropolis has been moving successful concern with the state since May past twelvemonth connected a retail theft inaugural that puts officers successful transgression blistery spots astir the city.

Manitoba initially announced a short-term program successful May 2024 to wage for constabulary to enactment overtime successful identified blistery spots. It allocated different $1.16 cardinal successful a July extension, and then extended it again successful October, earlier making the backing imperishable successful November.

After taking a dip successful 2020, erstwhile the COVID-19 pandemic reached Manitoba, reports of shoplifting nether $5,000 person spiked since 2021, with 54 per cent much reports successful 2024 than the erstwhile 5 years' average.

Violent crimes successful Winnipeg, including assault, homicides and robberies, remained comparatively unchanged implicit the past 2 years, with a 1.4 per cent alteration from 2023 to 2024. But compared to the mean implicit the past 5 years, reports of convulsive transgression successful 2024 were up 20.6 per cent, the constabulary study says.

Assaults accounted for much than one-third of Winnipeg's convulsive transgression past year, with 5,056 reports, somewhat up from the 5,021 investigated by constabulary successful 2023.

The study says 41 radical were victims of homicide past year, portion 14 were victims of attempted murder. 

Domestic convulsive crimes remained mostly unchanged past twelvemonth compared to 2023, with the fig of reports seeing a dependable emergence since 2019.