A CRIME wave on the coast of Canada has forced a nearby Walmart to close due to fears over staff and shopper safety.
The store in the city of Prince Rupert in British Columbia is a lifeline for countless families, and its closure comes as a huge loss for the community, Walmart says.
A Walmart in Prince Rupert, Canada, has been forced to shut down over crime wave fears[/caption]
The store has noted a rise in non-violent crimes like theft and vandalism[/caption]
With a population of roughly 12,000 people, Prince Rupert has become a place ridden with criminal activity, including shoplifting and vandalism.
Data shows that Prince Rupert’s crime index is more than twice as high compared to the average of other provinces.
The problem has gotten so bad that Walmart has made the decision to close its doors to protect its staff.
Walmart said in a statement that this decision was a last resort.
It said: “We know how much the community valued this store and while this is not the outcome we hoped for, this decision was only made after a full review of options.”
The store shut down temporarily earlier this year for the same reasons.
The data further reveals that Prince Rupert’s crime rate is three-and-a-half times higher than the average province in Canada.
Recent data from 2020 shows that the area saw 14,977 crimes per 100,000 people.
This is compared to 6,040 for British Columbia, and 4,233 for Canada as a whole.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SHOW
When taking a closer look year-on-year, Prince Rupert has made improvements in its crime statistics.
Using the Crime Severity Index (CSI), in 2024, Price Rupert saw a CSI decrease of 20% from the previous year, which went from 216.74 to 172.93.
Prince Rupert has also seen improvements in the Violent Crime Severity Index (VCSI).
From 2023 to 2024, Prince Rupert saw a VCSI decrease of 23% from 341.09 to 260.42.
This decrease took the province from ninth in the country’s VCSI rankings to fourteenth.
What is retail crime?
Retail theft has become a major issue for shops and customers in recent years as crime rates have soared.
Several CEOs have blamed organized retail crime for their use of unpopular anti-theft measures like locking items and receipt checks.
ORC is the large-scale theft of goods in stores with the intent of reselling them.
These operations could involve multiple people working together to steal or large quantities of high value items being taken while attempting to evade in-store security.
Retailers have reported a rise in shrink, which is the industry term for goods lost through theft or misplacement.
A 2023 National Retail Security Survey by the National Retail Federation showed that shrink increased to 1.6%.
The survey also revealed that ORC increased from 70.7% in 2022 to 78.15 in 2023.
Retailers have also shared their worries about threats of violence against staff that have been associated with retail theft.
Several industry leaders have shared their concerns about these worrying levels of crime.
Target’s CEO last year said the chain would close multiple stores due to the threat of “theft and organized retail crime” to employees and “business performance.”
A former Toys “R” Us CEO claimed some stores were “afraid” to stop thieves” and said changing attitudes toward theft had impacted stores.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN
But experts have warned residents that these numbers are highly concerning when taken from a wider perspective.
Criminology expert Neil Boyd told The Northern View that Prince Rupert’s 10-year average justifies concern.
He said: “The important thing is for people, when they look at these crime stats, to look at it over a 10-year time frame.”
Using a decade-long average, Prince Rupert has a CSI of 169.27 compared to the provincial 10-year average of 95.5.
And even in the period between 2023 and 2024 in which Prince Rupert improved in some measures, it worsened in others.
Notably, Prince Rupert’s non-violent crime severity index jumped from 67.52 in 2023 to 93.11 in 2024.
This is an increase of 37%, and points to some of the illegal behavior like shoplifting and vandalism that Walmart would be worried about.
Prince Rupert’s non-violent crime average of 93.11 last year brought it roughly in line with the average for all Canadian provinces, however, which was 93.3.
Data shows that Prince Rupert’s crime index is more than double when compared to the average of other provinces[/caption]
