Police crackdown on shoplifters at busy Kelowna mall

Would-be shoplifters were ambushed by Kelowna RCMP officers at the Capri Centre Mall this week.

The Kelowna RCMP Community Safety Unit was targeting repeat offenders at the mall on Wednesday, Jan. 11, according to an RCMP media release.

Officers in uniform and plain clothes were surveilling the premises beginning in the morning. Within 45 minutes the first shoplifter was busted. Six more people were nabbed over the next few hours. One suspect had numerous warrants out for his arrest.

“The boldness of some of these thefts have become concerning, including one man who grabbed about $50 worth of merchandise, made no efforts of concealing it and then simply walked out,” Const. Mike Gauthier with the safety unit said in the release. “Fortunately, he was noticed and taken into custody immediately.”

Shoplifters in Kelowna can expect more crackdowns.

“We have additional projects happening soon where we will be working with our local retail loss prevention officers throughout the city to focus on apprehending repeat and violent offenders,” Sgt. Scott Powrie, also with the safety unit, said in the release said.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.