A man with 103 convictions has been arrested again just a pair of days after he stole 47 pairs of pants.
The 44-year-old man was arrested Monday, Nov. 8, after allegedly stealing $730 in cosmetics from a Robson Street department store, according to a press release from the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).
This was just a couple days after he was arrested on Friday, Nov. 5, when he and a woman allegedly stole more than $5,700 in yoga pants from a different store on Robson Street.
The man suspected in both thefts already has been convicted of theft 38 times, along with 65 other convictions, for a total of 103.
“Most of these thefts are being fueled by chronic offenders who are living with complex social needs, including addiction, poverty and mental illness,” says Sgt. Steve Addison. “Sadly, we’re seeing many of these stolen items sold on the street, often in the Downtown Eastside, for pennies on the dollar.”
The man's arrest was one of nine on Monday as part of the VPD's clampdown on downtown shoplifting. Along with those arrests, police recovered $4,000 in stolen merchandise and are recommending 14 different criminal charges.
“People who live and work in the downtown core are telling us they’re fed up with chronic thieves and vandals targeting their neighbourhoods,” says Addison. “We hear their frustration loud and clear, which is why we’ve stepped up patrols and enforcement throughout the community and are working hard to hold offenders accountable.”
Prior to the nine arrests on Monday police arrested 32 people between Thursday and Sunday for crimes related to shoplifting. During a press conference Monday, Nov. 8, Addison noted an increase in violent shoplifting being reported. As part of Monday's arrests police seized a knife, a replica gun and a makeshift flail.
