LCBO to Increase Security at its Stores
The LCBO recently revealed significant improvements that will be implemented in a few months in certain locations. If these changes are successful in reducing theft, they may eventually be extended to further sites. This Monday, the booze retailer unveiled a new plan aimed at reducing theft and creating “a safer shopping experience.” It seems that the merchant took inspiration from Loblaws and the contentious security gates that it installed in its stores last year.
As part of a new trial initiative, the LCBO will soon ask some customers to provide picture identification to security before entering at six Ontario stores in an effort to prevent theft and create a safer shopping experience. Six LCBO locations in northern Ontario—two in Kenora, one in Sioux Lookout, and four in Thunder Bay—will participate in the restricted entry experiment.
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The LCBO stated that theft is a severe problem that puts workers and consumers who work and shop in its outlets at risk for injury. It also puts a strain on the police force. Photo IDs will be scanned to verify that they are authentic and legitimate, and if the customer is not with an adult, to verify that they are of legal drinking age and have not been engaged in any previous in-store issues.
How bad is alcohol theft in Canada at LCBO stores?
One recent alcohol theft went on in Stratford, Ontario where police received reports of theft from both LCBO locations in the city. Three individuals broke into the LCBO store at the Stratford Mall around lunchtime. After choosing upscale booze bottles, the suspects walked out of the store without paying. Not long later, the same suspects went to the LCBO in downtown, picked up a few upscale bottles of booze, and walked out without paying. It was said that alcohol worth $5000 was stolen at those two locations.
Employees at the Jones Road business in Midland reported a shoplifting incident to the OPP’s communication centre on November 30. At around 7 p.m., the two suspects—who are thought to be driving a dark-coloured, late-model Audi Q5/7—entered the store and took out around $2,000 worth of wine and spirits.
Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) East Algoma Detachment reacted to a theft of alcohol from the local liquor shop in the Town of Blind River on November 18, 2023. Afterwards, police found the two people and took them into custody and charged them with theft of alcohol in hight of $2000.
Following a retail theft blitz in Oakville, the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) Retail Theft Unit has made a number of arrests and filed several charges.HRPS officers carried out targeted enforcement at many LCBO shops in Oakville on November 6 and November 8, 2023. Four people were taken into custody for stealing booze worth more than $2,500 throughout the course of the three-day operation.It was discovered that two of the people the police had detained had big magnets and signal jamming devices, which are frequently used to thwart theft detection systems installed in retail establishments. Additionally, $3,500 worth of stolen perfume from a neighbouring Shoppers Drug Mart was found by the police.
And these are just a few that were mentioned in the media, many thefts never appear in local news and therefore Canadians just are not aware of the height of alcohol theft in recent months and years.
