Welcome to Retail C.O.P. Red Deer

Welcome to Retail C.O.P., Canada's only online retail crime prevention community. Retail C.O.P. is an effective, efficient and innovative crime prevention tool for all businesses. Strong partnerships between the Red Deer City RCMP, local businesses and Loss Prevention/Asset Protection Officers has led to the adoption of this program, which has a proven record in communities such as Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton for increasing arrest and prosecution rates among criminals who target our businesses. We hope to empower Loss Prevention/Asst Protection Officers, independent business owners and business managers with this FREE program, allowing them to seek assistance in identifying and recognizing the criminals who target out businesses.

Shoplifting may seem insignificant to an individual store, but taken as a whole it has substantial impacts on the community and market. Canadian Statistics suggest that retail theft costs Canadians approximately $4,000,000,000 per year (approximately $400 per household).

The single biggest factor in preventative policing is communication and intelligence sharing. At approximately 100,000 people, Red Deer is not so big that communication and intelligence sharing is difficult. Within the Red Deer RCMP information is shared relatively quickly, however efficient preventative policing and ongoing offender management also requires good communication with businesses and other agencies within the community.

The goal of this site is to empower Loss Prevention/Asset Protection Officers, independent business owners, and managers, and to allow them to recognize the criminals who target our businesses. It will also assist the Red Deer RCMP in locating, identifying and charging criminals responsible for not only shoplifting, but also other crimes as well. 

Those involved in the retail industry in Red Deer and surrounding areas are encouraged to apply to be a user of this site. The information and intelligence shared on this site in cooperation with the Red Deer RCMP will be a true collaborative effort toward crime prevention and offender management.

Red Deer RCMP is excited to join this innovative and excellent investigative program to assist LPOs/APOs to solve and prevent crime.

To apply for access:  Go to https://retailcop.ca/  and choose ‘Apply for Access’ from the menu and follow the instructions.

For more information about the program, please contact the Red Deer City RCMP's Community Policing / Victim Services Unit by e-mail at KRedDeerCPVS@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

BACKGROUND: Retail COP got its start in Calgary; the following release outlines the history and some details of the program in Calgary and Edmonton.

Never ‘just’ a shoplifting call

05-Dec-2016

New Retail Cop website helps identify and manage offenders

A long way from a kid stealing a chocolate bar, the new online trend in retail theft requires a sophisticated approach to identify and manage offenders. EPS’s Merchant Crime Alert program has been enhanced with the addition of ‘Retail Cop’, an interactive web tool that allows police, retail operators and loss prevention/security personnel to share information 24/7.

“Retail Cop is an electronic crime prevention tool; a one stop hub focusing on identifying repeat offenders and managing prolific offenders with a mandate to put a dent in organized retail crime,” said Cst. Ray Wilson. “All EPS members and civilian agencies will find this site to be an excellent investigative tool.”

Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Sources say it costs retailers billions of dollars per year and those costs are passed on to consumers to the tune of $200 to $400 per Canadian household, annually. The social costs are even greater; retail theft feeds a network of organized criminal activity. ‘Boosters’ are used to steal product in exchange for drugs, with the goods ultimately fenced online or through fronted businesses.

Amber Craig, Loss Prevention Officer with London Drugs, would like to dispel the notion that ‘it’s just shoplifting,’ “A good 90 per cent of the people I arrest have outstanding warrants for something,” says Craig. “I know of a loss prevention officer who arrested a person who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for murder.”  

One of the first things Craig does when she gets to work is sign on to the Retail Cop site, checking to see what’s new, looking for trends that may affect her stores and entering any information she has to offer. The features she appreciates the most about the site are the ease of tracking offenders, the 24/7 access, the crime mapping function and the cautions about offender history (violence, weapons, MO).

Calgary Police Service has been using Retail Cop for over four years with almost 800 users. Over one third of their members use it. “We are reducing calls for service in Calgary by targeting prolific offenders through the Retail Cop website, and in doing so getting better sentences and court conditions, leading to less offending,” said Cst. Lara Sampson, Organized Retail Crime, Offender Management Unit, Calgary Police Service.

Although Edmonton has been using the site for just over two months, 123 users have submitted almost 350 tips to the site. Eleven of 13 arrests made since the program started have involved high profile offenders.

In September, 2016, images of a theft from a retail store were posted on the Retail Cop web site by a Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) a short time after the offence. A Person of Interest identification submission via Retail Cop identified the high profile offender who was subsequently charged with this and other offences.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a junior member or with major crimes, Retail Cop is a source of information,” said Cst. Ray Wilson. “You can benefit from it and contribute to it.”