Holiday retail theft rises as Sask. police launch December blitz

Retailers and police across Saskatchewan say shoplifting is becoming more organized, more violent and far more costly as the holiday season ramps up — a trend mirrored across the country and prompting stepped-up enforcement in Saskatoon this month.

According to national data from the Retail Council of Canada, retail losses have more than doubled over the past 12 years.

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Losses were estimated at $4 billion in 20122, rising to $5 billion in 2018 and jumping to $9.1 billion in 2024.

Rui Rodriguez, the council’s executive advisor for loss prevention, says it’s not just the number of thefts that are increasing — it’s the severity.

“We’re seeing more incidents involving weapons, more violence and more organized retail crime groups,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not just people stealing for themselves. It’s groups stealing large quantities to resell online or through illicit markets.”

He says online resale platforms have created a new level of anonymity for thieves, making it harder for retailers and police to track stolen goods. At the same time, economic pressures and a lack of consequences have emboldened some offenders.

“There’s a perception that retail theft is a low-level crime with low-level consequences,” Rodriguez said. “When criminals believe they’ll be arrested and released the same day, it gives them confidence to continue.”

Saskatchewan businesses are feeling the strain

That trend is hitting Saskatchewan hard. Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Aebig says retailers are reporting rising thefts and increasing aggression towards staff.

“We’re not talking about kids stealing chocolate bars,” Aebig said. “These are organized, mobilized groups with a capacity and desire to raid stores. We’re also seeing more violent encounters and rising security costs.

A chamber survey earlier this year found 85 per cent of Saskatoon businesses saw increased security costs, with one in four reporting spikes of more than 25 per cent.

Some businesses choose not to report theft at all, Aebig said, either because they doubt anything will come of it or because they fear being labelled a hotspot and scaring away customers.

Police: Reporting matters, and so does enforcement

Regina Police Service Inspector Shawn Fenwick says Saskatchewan police are noticing the same trend: more organized thefts, more brazen incidents and more violence.

“We’ve seen increases in smaller thefts, and increases in the violence tied to them,” Fenwick said. “And reporting is crucial. If we don’t know what is happening, we can’t put resources towards it.”

Sgt. Keith Malcolm, who oversees Regina’s theft reports, says linking and keeping track of cases is how police catch repeat offenders.

“We’ll put together eight, nine, ten files at once,” Malcolm said. “That’s how we hold prolific offenders accountable.”

Rodriguez says that 20 per cent of the offenders are causing 80 per cent of the issues.

Saskatoon launches December retail blitz

In response to rising concerns, the Saskatoon Police Service has launched its third retail blitz of 2025, running on select dates throughout December.

Project Shield focuses on arresting prolific and violent offenders and working directly with store security and loss-prevention teams.

Police say the goal is simple: keep stores safe, reassure shoppers and disrupt organized groups during the busiest retail month of the year.