Light-fingered petty criminals in Kelowna are thieving, pilfering and shoplifting like never before.
A new study revealing the Canadian cities with the worst shoplifting problems puts Kelowna in the No. 2 spot behind only the country's shoplifting capital -- Halifax.
ViewHomes.ca -- a platform where you can search for real estate in Ontario -- did the study using Statistics Canada data for total shoplifting incidents per 100,000 residents.
In Kelowna, there were 953.45 cases of shoplifting an item valued under $5,000 and 3.67 cases of shoplifting an item valued over $5,000 for a total rate of 957.12 incidents of shoplifting per 100,000 population.
In Halifax, the number of shoplifting cases was 1,020.66 per 100,000 residents.
"While larger cities like Montreal and Ottawa struggle with the sheer volume of cases, smaller cities like Halifax and Kelowna are also dealing with disproportionately high rates per capita," said Liam Cope, a real estate broker from ViewHomes.ca.
"These numbers reveal the scale of shoplifting in Canadian cities and its impact on local businesses. Addressing these trends is essential to supporting communities and businesses nationwide."
There's always been a petty criminal element of people who shoplift simply to get stuff for free or for the thrill of it.
But the trend now is a wave of first-timers who turn to shoplifting because they're feeling the pinch of rising costs and stagnant wages or unemployment.
This trend could be most prevalent in grocery stores, where some people feel they need to thieve to put food on the table.
Drug stores and clothing stores may also be seeing this type of shoplifting of essentials.
Retail stores have always tried to thwart shoplifting with video monitoring and employees keeping an eye out.
But, more and more stores now also have on-site security guards to deal with shoplifting detection.
Some retailers are even blaming higher prices partially on increased losses due to shoplifting.
The study underscores that shoplifting remains pervasive across Canada, with theft under $5,000 driving the vast majority of reported incidents.
That makes sense, because it's certainly easier for a petty thief to pocket a steak at a grocery store or slip a pair of jeans into a big purse at a department store than it is to pilfer a diamond ring valued over $5,000 at a jewelry store.
Blackbird Security, which has locations across Canada, including Kelowna, had the following information on its website.
Common shoplifters -- defined as those that steal items for personal or family use -- are most likely to pilfer meat and cheese, clothing, toiletries, makeup and cosmetics, toys, tools and alcohol.
There are also professional shoplifters who steal from stores with the intention of selling items at a profit on the black market through flea markets or pawnshops or online on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Craigslist.
Items on the pro hitlist include designer jackets, perfumes and colognes, sunglasses, handbags, consumer electronics like smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and laptops and small appliances such as blenders and espresso machines.
Back to the ViewHomes.ca study generated from Statistics Canada numbers, three cities in Quebec had the lowest rates of shoplifting per 100,000 population.
Quebec City was No. 34 on the list with 187.6, Saguenay at 177 and Trois-Rivieres at 116.
Those are dramatically lower than Halifax's 1,020.66 and Kelowna's 957.12.
See the top 14 list here:
Thumbnail photo from 123rf
