As the province prepares to release details on its new Retail Crime Task Force, one expert says Manitoba retailers likely saw record losses from theft in 2019.
Loss prevention expert Stephen O’Keefe told 680 CJOB the shrinkage rate in the United States grew to a record high last year — from 1.38 per cent to 1.62 per cent — and if Manitoba is following the same trend, 2019 didn’t look great for local businesses.
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“We are experiencing the same type of activity and we’re expecting our shrinkage is likely similar to the U.S. experience,” he said, noting that Canada tends to mirror trends south of the border.
“Police have been reluctant to process shoplifting cases because the courts won’t take them, and then the police have a slower response time because they know they’re not going to prosecute.”
Manitoba’s justice minister will give an update on the province’s Retail Crime Task Force at 11 a.m.
