'We notice a lot of sticky fingers': Shoplifting on the rise in St. Thomas

The St. Thomas Police Service is issuing a warning to local retailers as police deal with a rapid rise in shoplifting cases over the last couple of years.

It’s no surprise to staff at Purely Wicked, a novelty shop on Talbot Street. They say they often don’t realize they’ve been a victim of shoplifting until it’s too late.

“A lot of small items go missing,” said long time staff member Jennifer Childs. “Our crystal table is where we notice a lot of sticky fingers. We will only find out some item is missing when we only have one of them, and someone has ordered it online, we come out to try and find it for someone’s order, and it’s gone. You know, it costs us money,” she said.

St. Thomas police say it experienced a 23 per cent increase in shoplifting calls in 2023 over 2022.

In an email to CTV News, Corporate Communications Coordinator Samantha Wakefield said that for this year, “the service is projecting to see the same level of reported shoplifting calls for service from 2023.”

A notice from St. Thomas Police to local retailers said “newly released national crime statistics show a 28 per cent increase in shoplifting incidents under $5,000 across Canada. In total, Canada experienced 155,280 reported incidents of shoplifting in 2023, marking an 18 per cent rise from 2022.”

CTV Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis speaks to CTV News on Oct. 24, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

CTV News Public Safety Analyst and retired OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said there are many contributing factors to the rise in shoplifting, including economic factors.

“It’s a sign of people paying bigger prices for stuff, maybe not making as much as they should to pay all their bills, and subsequently turning to theft. And then the other cases is people looking for the easy way out and stealing stuff rather than getting jobs and trying to earn it,” explained Lewis.

Many stores, including large chains, have directed staff not to intervene if they observe shoplifting.

“Is it a store clerk’s responsibility or a security guard that’s making barely more than minimum wage to get into physical altercations? I don’t believe it is,” said Lewis.

Not all stores are victimized by shoplifters, and it has a lot to do with taking preventive measures.

Dan Tolman at St. Thomas Pawn Shop stands in front of surveillance monitors in his store on Oct. 24, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

At St. Thomas Pawn Shop on Talbot Street in St. Thomas, owners Dan and Judith Tolman learned to deal with the scourge of shoplifting over 20 years in business and taking their security seriously. One cannot get near the store or move anywhere inside the store without finding themselves on camera.

“We don’t get a lot of theft here,” explained Judith. “We have 23 cameras, we have bars on the window, we know our customers, and they respect us,” she said.

In the meantime, when it comes to shoplifting, both police and retailers say that in the end, everyone pays.

“It’s not fair for other customers,” said Jennifer Childs at Purely Wicked. “We don’t want to have to raise prices if we can avoid that.”