Police in Vancouver are revealing the results of a recent campaign targeting some of who they say are the city's chronic and violent shoplifters.
The two-week operation was the latest phase of Project Barcode which ran from September 11 to 26 and saw police officers working with Vancouver stores to clamp down on retail crime.
Throughout the operation, Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers were staged outside of participating retail stores while staff watched for known offenders and other shoplifters. As the suspected thieves made their way toward the exits, staff notified the waiting officers who then took the suspects into custody, explained the VPD in a previous news release.
The operation resulted in 258 arrests. Police also recovered almost $57,000 in allegedly stolen merchandise.
Project Barcode launched last spring when the VPD conducted a three-week anti-shoplifting blitz.
Vancouver police are also working with policing partners and RCMP in other municipalities across Metro Vancouver. During the latest Project Barcode operation, Delta Police and RCMP in Langley, Richmond, and Burnaby made 82 additional shoplifting arrests.
“We’ve seen the impact rampant theft and violent shoplifting has had in other North American cities, where some major retailers have decided to no longer do business. We’re determined to not let that happen here,” adds Staff Sergeant Mastropieri, noting that the VPD will continue targeting retail thieves throughout the holiday season.
