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A 41-year-old Mississauga man has been arrested and charged after police recovered nearly $1 million in stolen property following a break-in at a high end store in a Mississauga mall.
Peel Regional Police said on Friday that a masked suspect used tools to enter the Holt Renfrew department store inside Square One Shopping Centre on April 30 shortly after 1 a.m. and pried open a security gate to gain access to the store.
Inside, he smashed glass cases and walked off with high-priced jewelry and clothing from several displays.
Nearly $800,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from Holt Renfrew, police said.
Det. Joseph Cardi, speaking at a news conference inside the mall, said security cameras made it easy for police to track the thief’s movements.
“Our investigation determined that the suspect gained access and forced entry into a retail store, stealing a large quantity of high-end merchandise,” Cardi said.
Police say the suspect fled on foot, then stole an unattended vehicle nearby, which police recovered the next day.
WATCH | Nearly $1M in allegedly stolen property recovered by Peel police:
Police recover almost $1M worth of stolen merchandise, mostly from Square One Mall
Peel police say they’ve recovered almost $1M in stolen clothes and jewlery, and charged a 41-year-old in the theft. CBC’s Greg Ross has more on the investigation into the break and enter at Missisauga’s Square One Mall.
After conducting surveillance, investigators arrested the man, carried out a search warrant at his home and recovered a “significant” amount of stolen property, Cardi said.
The property included jewelry, some of which was not from the break-in, and nearly $10,000 worth of lottery tickets.
“We’re in the process now trying to figure out where they belong to and if they are part of the criminal activity,” he said.
The man has been charged with: break and enter; possession of break-in instruments; disguise with intent; motor vehicle theft; possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose; failure to comply with a release order; and two counts of breach of probation. He was held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Police say the accused is still in custody and has been charged with similar crimes previously.
Retail theft not petty crime, expert says
Rui Rodrigues, Retail Council of Canada executive advisor on loss prevention and risk management, said at the news conference that retail theft is not a petty or victimless crime and it fuels organized crime.
“Across Canada, we are seeing increasing violence and threats against employees, highly mobile organized groups targeting multiple jurisdictions, taking advantage of the lack of our organization, stolen goods that are being funneled into illicit marketplaces,” Rodrigues said.
“This is not a retail issue, it is a public safety issue, a community issue and increasingly an organized crime issue.”
Peel Regional Police said on Friday that a masked suspect used tools to enter the Holt Renfrew Department store inside Square One Shopping Centre on April 30 shortly after 1 a.m. and walked off with high-priced jewelry and clothing from several displays. Here is some of the jewelry that police recovered. (Submitted by Peel Regional Police)
Rodrigues said retail crime on the scale of the Holt Renfrew incident has become more common over the last three to four years.
“The violence that we see perpetrated has increased significantly, the velocity, so how quickly and how often the thefts occur, and then the size of some of the thefts,” he said.
Retail theft undermines sense of safety in region: police
Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said retail theft has an effect on businesses and the surrounding community.
“Incidents like this not only result in financial loss but undermine the sense of safety for those who live and work in our region,” Andrews said in a news release on Friday.
“Through proactive, intelligence-led policing, we are taking decisive action to disrupt organized retail crime and hold offenders accountable.”
Stephen Gascoine, director and general manager of Square One Shopping Centre, said in the release that the arrest sends a “clear message that organized retail crime has no place in our community.”
Anyone with information about the theft is being urged to contact police.