Winnipeg Police Service officers will be working overtime shifts in an effort to address surging retail crime, but the measure is not a long-term solution, city officials were told Friday.
WPS Chief Danny Smyth said the increased police presence in The Exchange, West End and Osborne Village starts Saturday and will continue until the end of the month, conducting targeted retail crime enforcement and ramping up community engagement.
But a personnel shortage means the approach is not sustainable, Smyth told the Winnipeg Police Board.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg police chief Danny Smyth says the service has approximately 1,375 officers, compared to about 1,450 when he became chief in 2016.
“A lot of our resources are being pulled away from regular duties to deal with public order now… I want to acknowledge our members here because this is overtime. They are giving up their own time to come in and try to serve the community in a way that we can’t sustain long-term,” he said.
“The reality is (that) the demand on policing right now is greater than the resources we have.”
The cost of the additional shifts is being covered by $387,000 in recently promised provincial cash to boost the WPS overtime budget to be used in the fight against retail theft.
Smyth said WPS has approximately 1,375 officers, compared to about 1,450 when he became chief in 2016.
Relying too much on overtime raises the risk of overworking rank-and-file members, particularly as an increase in homicides and other violent crimes has increased their workload, he said.
“I don’t want to burn out my people,” he said.
Smyth did not say how many additional officers are required, stressing that should be carefully analyzed and discussed with Manitoba Justice and the police board.
In May, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the province would cover overtime costs for officers to focus on retail crime hot spots, but did not offer details on the plan.
Police board vice-chair Colleen Mayer said the panel will closely monitor whether more officers are needed.
“That’s very complex,” said Mayer, who chaired the meeting, as board chair Markus Chambers was away on city business and attended remotely.
“You’ve heard the chief talk about all of the factors that go into the draining of the resources that we’re seeing…. That is something that the chief is going to signal to the board…. We know that they’re stretched very thin.”
The WPS also shared data on the extent of local retail crime. The average number of reported shoplifting incidents over the past 10 years was 4,700 annually. That number soared to 11,567 in 2019, which police say was largely linked to a surge in Liquor Mart thefts.
In 2023, a total of 6,930 shoplifting incidents were reported, the second-highest volume in the past decade.
“This was an increase of 45 per cent over 2022 and 14 per cent over the five-year average. If 2024 continues at (the current) rate, it will far exceed our 2023 numbers,” said Insp. Jennifer McKinnon of the WPS criminal investigations bureau.
By the end of May, there were 3,196 reports of shoplifting.
McKinnon said recent short-term anti-theft initiatives yielded arrests and succeeded in reducing theft. However, a long-term solution requires partnerships with the community, including efforts to help educate retailers on how they can help prevent theft, she said.
Retail theft made up about 30 per cent of all property crimes reported to WPS last year.
The new approach to combat retail crime follows months of complaints about violence, vandalism and shoplifting at local stores.
Some community advocates say it’s time to stop relying so heavily on policing to reduce crime.
“The recent announcement by Minister Wiebe, that the province will pay (police) overtime to try and curb retail theft is just another example of spending more on what does not work,” Kate Kehler, a member of the Police Accountability Coalition, told the board Friday.
“What is problematic about continuing to throw more money at policing is that it only gets us more security measures, rather than actual safety.”
Kehler said more money must be spent on social supports that combat poverty to address the root causes of crime.
In an email, Wiebe called the new strategy a way to “immediately” address retailers’ concerns.
“This will allow (police) to deploy more resources on the streets right away through various means, including overtime for officers. This is an important first step to keep people safe, but we also need to address the root causes of crime,” he said.
“We are working toward our public safety strategy which will inform our longer-term plan.”
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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