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A targeted enforcement campaign against retail theft in Winnipeg has ended, with 123 people arrested and more than 243 charges laid, police say.
Officers also recovered nearly $22,000 in stolen merchandise, a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service said Thursday.
The fall retail theft initiative ran from Sept. 8-27. It focused on more than 30 different businesses across the city in areas identified as shoplifting hot spots based on crime reporting trends, police said in an email to CBC News.
They would not identify any of the specific neighbourhoods, but said the initiative targeted shopping centres and commercial businesses throughout Winnipeg.
“It was pretty much citywide,” said Sgt. Randy Lofto, who works with the police service’s property crime unit. “It went all the way from Transcona to north [of] Keewatin, the Osborne area, and all the way out to Unicity.”
Among those arrested were 15 repeat offenders, the release said. The majority of those arrested were released after charges were laid, but 33 were detained in custody.
“Retail theft does impact our members quite a bit. When we see the Winnipeg police take retail theft seriously, we’re very pleased,” said Joe Kornelsen, executive director of the West End BIZ.
“I think what we hear most from members — that they’re most concerned about — is the brazenness with which theft occurs. They are rightly concerned for their employees’ safety.”
Joe Kornelsen, executive director of the West End BIZ, says store owners in the area are concerned about the brazenness with which theft occurs, as well as the safety of employees. (Justin Fraser/CBC)
Store owners don’t want their staff to step in and put themselves into dangerous situations, but they can’t sustain large losses either, Kornelsen said, noting several convenience stores have closed in the West End in recent years.
“Counting on organizations like the Winnipeg police to step in with the authority that they have, I think, puts their minds at ease.”
Outside the targeted enforcement push of the fall initiative, police say they responded to numerous other retail thefts in the city over the September period, leading to 81 arrests, 134 criminal charges and the recovery of approximately $13,138 in stolen goods.
Eight of those arrested were alleged repeat offenders.
Lofto expects another crackdown will be done in December.
“The businesses very much appreciate us being out there. Employees and managers and loss prevention officers are very frustrated when they see a large amount of thefts, you know, and people walking out with very high-value items.”
This is the third consecutive year Winnipeg police have run a targeted anti-theft initiative.
A push started in summer 2024 was extended through fall and then the Christmas holiday season. That year, police identified the hot spot neighbourhoods as Osborne Village, the Exchange District and the West End.
Last year, a three-day shoplifting crackdown in August led to 20 arrests in the Transcona and St. Boniface areas.
Another push in September 2025 led to another 84 arrests, more than 200 charges laid and just over $10,280 worth of property recovered, police said. The neighbourhoods targeted in that initiative were not identified.