Police made 13 arrests in the city over the weekend linked to a targeted retail theft initiative.
A dozen of the arrests occurred on Saturday alone, the Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday. All were at grocery stores.
In three separate incidents Saturday, two women, ages 32 and 35, and a 53-year-old man were arrested for theft under $5,000 at a Bison Drive grocery store.
Two men, ages 27 and 50, were arrested for theft under $5,000 in separate incidents Saturday at a grocery store in the 600 block of Sargent Avenue. The 50-year-old was in custody on warrants.
A 47-year-old man was picked up for theft under $5,000 at a grocer in the 2000 block of McPhillips Street on Saturday. A co-accused woman was later found nearby.
Police arrested two men, ages 18 and 29 for theft under $5,000 in separate incidents Saturday at a River Avenue grocery store. A 61-year-old man was also accused of theft under $5,000 at the Osborne Village grocery, but was released without charge with a referral to a restorative justice program.
A 35-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl were arrested for theft under $5,000 Saturday at a grocer in the 1300 block of Sargent Avenue.
On Sunday, a 24-year-old woman was arrested for theft under$5,000 and public mischief, specifically for providing a false identity to police, at an Osborne Village fast-food restaurant.
Police allege the woman argued with the staff, jumped over the counter, stole food and cash and then fled.
Last November, the Winnipeg Police Service began placing more officers near malls and downtown, where businesses had raised concerns over increasingly violent thefts.
The province announced in May that it would direct $378,000 to the city to pay for the retail theft program program, which relies on officers working overtime shifts. Police said the largely covert effort up to that point would become more visible in some areas.
And in July the provincial government added $1 million to extend the program, which focuses on three crime hot spots — the Exchange District, Osborne Village and the West End — through the end of August.
Business leaders say they’ve seen a drop in shoplifting during the police initiative.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca