The Richmond RCMP arrested 18 retail theft suspects last month.
Police held an operation on Sept. 14 as part of their “Boost ‘n Bust” project in conjunction with loss prevention officers, Metro Vancouver Transit Police and retail owners in Richmond.
Of the 18 suspects arrested, 15 were adults and three were youth. Most of them came from areas outside of Richmond, while three were from Richmond.
One of the suspects had arrest warrants from both Vancouver and Surrey, and another person was arrested for breaking their previous offence conditions after a police chase on foot.
The most commonly recovered items included clothing, footwear, cosmetics, electronics and personal hygiene products. These were primarily going to be resold in Vancouver, according to Richmond RCMP.
Richmond RCMP Insp. Michael Cohee said officers found the SkyTrain was the main route being used by suspects to move stolen items between cities.
“Retail theft is not a victimless crime and costs businesses across Canada, millions of dollars in property losses and revenue,” said Cohee.
“With each year, these collaborative retail theft operations, have proven increasingly successful and very insightful.”
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