Months of increased police presence brings sense of relief for some Winnipeg business owners

February 28, 2025 Canuck

Some Winnipeg businesses owners in areas identified as retail theft hot spots say they feel a renewed sense of safety after months of increased police presence — but that they didn’t notice a promised jump in patrols during the holiday shopping season.

As part of an initiative dubbed the SafeShop project, Winnipeg police put more officers in shopping hot spots like malls and other retail hubs on busy days in November and December.

Foot patrol members — including 12 newly added to a unit with provincial funding — spent roughly 670 hours in Osborne Village, the West End and the Exchange District, police said in a Thursday news release that summarized the results of the initiative.

Police say from the start of November to Dec. 28, they recovered nearly $57,000 in stolen goods and made 200 arrests, leading to 175 people being charged.

The increased police presence over the holiday season was part of a broader and ongoing retail theft initiative that puts officers in crime hot spots around the city.

The province initially announced a short-term plan last May to pay for police to work overtime in identified hot spots. It allocated another $1.16 million in a July extension, and then extended it again in October, before making the funding permanent in November.

Shona Stewart, who runs The Overflow — a boutique thrift store in Osborne Village — said having the expanded police presence in the neighbourhood since last summer has made a big difference for her business, which funnels its profits to a charity working with victims of human trafficking.

Cars are on the street besides a business strip in Winnipeg. — Reports of retail theft and shoplifting in Osborne Village, seen in a file photo, have decreased since police patrols were introduced last summer, says Zohreh Gervais, director of the Osborne Village BIZ. (John Einarson/CBC)

“Some people were stealing a lot and just running out the door with handfuls of clothing and stuff,” she said. “We get things donated, but nevertheless, we won’t make any money if all these clothes are going out the door.”

She says she didn’t really see an increase in the number of police in the area over the holidays, though.

Nonetheless, “we want this to continue if it can,” she said. “We feel safer.”

While the provincial funding to cover overtime for the foot patrol officers as part of SafeShop ran out at the end of December, a police spokesperson said the initiative is continuing, with officers from various units continuing to maintain a visible presence in the community.

Twelve additional officers will also join the foot patrol unit in the coming months, police said.

Reports of retail theft and shoplifting in Osborne Village have decreased since expanded police patrols were introduced last summer, said Zohreh Gervais, director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone.

“Osborne Village is predominantly small local businesses, and theft really affects them,” she said. “It’s not just eating into the margins of some huge corporation.… They are trying to stay afloat in very trying economic times.”

While Gervais said she didn’t notice a jump in the number of foot patrols in Osborne Village over the holidays as compared to the summer, their continued presence in the area has helped to build a relationship between police, residents and businesses — bringing a sense of security to the neighbourhood.

“Policing isn’t necessarily the solution to a lot of the issues that we deal with in this community,” but “everybody needs to feel safe,” Gervais said.

“It really makes it harder for local businesses to thrive when people don’t come out as much.”

Police presence boosting foot traffic

Greg Tonn, whose retail music store Into the Music has been in the Exchange District for almost 40 years, says during the latest holiday season, he didn’t see much change in shoplifting at his store compared to previous years.

The number of police foot patrols over the holidays also appeared to have been about what he’s seen since last summer, he said.

While it might be hard to quantify how much the foot patrols have helped to prevent theft, Tonn said the added police presence since last year has helped bring a sense of reassurance to the area.

“Police will come in and do a casual walk around so that they’re seeing them. They’re noticed,” he said. “It certainly makes us feel a little bit safer.”

A man with glasses holds a vinyl with his hands in front of shelves stacked with more vinyls. — Greg Tonn, owner of Into the Music in the Exchange District, says while it’s hard to quantify how much the foot patrols have helped curb theft, the added police presence does bring a sense of reassurance. (Josh Crabb/CBC)

David Pensato, the executive director of the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone, said business owners in the core neighbourhood have told him they feel safer, and some said they did see a boost in patrols over the holiday shopping season.

“The police presence really provides that reassurance, in particular to visitors, and it does help the businesses feel more confident, which is always good for the bottom line,” he said.

Pensato also said it’s hard to quantify the effect of the patrols on theft, but businesses have told him they’re seeing more visitors to the Exchange since the patrols were expanded last year.

“When there’s more people around, there are fewer incidents,” he said. “Anything that’s going to continue to build that foot traffic in the area is going to contribute to safety.”

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