Welcome to Retail COP Edmonton.

For those involved in the retail industry in Edmonton and surrounding areas you are encouraged to apply to be a user to this site. The information and intelligence shared on this site in cooperation with the Edmonton Police Service will be a true collaborative effort toward crime prevention and offender management.

Never ‘just’ a shoplifting call

05-Dec-2016

New Retail Cop website helps identify and manage offenders

A long way from a kid stealing a chocolate bar, the new online trend in retail theft requires a sophisticated approach to identify and manage offenders. EPS’s Merchant Crime Alert program has been enhanced with the addition of ‘Retail Cop’, an interactive web tool that allows police, retail operators and loss prevention/security personnel to share information 24/7.

“Retail Cop is an electronic crime prevention tool; a one stop hub focusing on identifying repeat offenders and managing prolific offenders with a mandate to put a dent in organized retail crime,” said Cst. Ray Wilson. “All EPS members and civilian agencies will find this site to be an excellent investigative tool.”

Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Sources say it costs retailers billions of dollars per year and those costs are passed on to consumers to the tune of $200 to $400 per Canadian household, annually. The social costs are even greater; retail theft feeds a network of organized criminal activity. ‘Boosters’ are used to steal product in exchange for drugs, with the goods ultimately fenced online or through fronted businesses.

Amber Craig, Loss Prevention Officer with London Drugs, would like to dispel the notion that ‘it’s just shoplifting,’ “A good 90 per cent of the people I arrest have outstanding warrants for something,” says Craig. “I know of a loss prevention officer who arrested a person who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for murder.”  

One of the first things Craig does when she gets to work is sign on to the Retail Cop site, checking to see what’s new, looking for trends that may affect her stores and entering any information she has to offer. The features she appreciates the most about the site are the ease of tracking offenders, the 24/7 access, the crime mapping function and the cautions about offender history (violence, weapons, MO).

Calgary Police Service has been using Retail Cop for over four years with almost 800 users. Over one third of their members use it. “We are reducing calls for service in Calgary by targeting prolific offenders through the Retail Cop website, and in doing so getting better sentences and court conditions, leading to less offending,” said Cst. Lara Sampson, Organized Retail Crime, Offender Management Unit, Calgary Police Service.

Although Edmonton has been using the site for just over two months, 123 users have submitted almost 350 tips to the site. Eleven of 13 arrests made since the program started have involved high profile offenders.

In September, 2016, images of a theft from a retail store were posted on the Retail Cop web site by a Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) a short time after the offence. A Person of Interest identification submission via Retail Cop identified the high profile offender who was subsequently charged with this and other offences.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a junior member or with major crimes, Retail Cop is a source of information,” said Cst. Ray Wilson. “You can benefit from it and contribute to it.”

To apply for access:  Go to https://edmonton.retailcop.ca/  and choose ‘Apply for Access’ from the menu, follow the instructions.

For more information about the program or about using the site, please contact Cst. Shannon HARRIGAN at cooppolicing@edmontonpolice.ca