James Burns, CEO of Alcanna, Minister Doug Schweitzer, MLA Brad Rutherford, and Cst. Robyn Wilson, EPS, announce action to fight robberies and thefts at liquor stores

By Dori Modney with files from the Government of Alberta

Province sets up working group and looks at ID-scanning to combat liquor thefts

Jan 20, 2020 | 4:48 PM

EDMONTON — The province has set-up a working group to protect Albertans by combating the growing public safety threat posed by liquor store robberies and thefts.

Police in Edmonton responded to 9,600 liquor store thefts in 2019, for an average of about 26 per day.

That’s a 200 per cent increase from 2018.

Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, has appointed Brad Rutherford, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont, to chair the working group, which will examine the recent spike in crimes targeting liquor stores.

“Criminals and gangs are preying on hard-working, law-abiding Albertans and business owners. Our government will work with our partners in law enforcement and in the industry to deter liquor store thefts through better prevention and ensuring appropriate consequences for the perpetrators.”

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Other members of the group include: James Stiles, executive advisor to senior ADM, Justice and Solicitor General; Ivonne Martinez, president, Alberta Liquor Store Association; Sarah Langley, executive director, Alberta Crown Prosecution Service; Acting Supt. Leah Barber, Calgary Police Service; Supt. Terry Rocchio, Edmonton Police Service; Supt. Peter Tewfik, RCMP, “K” Division; and Rob Pape, director, Compliance, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis.

Rutherford noted that the liquor thefts stem from entrenched groups.

“There is evidence that criminal gangs are fuelling a dramatic increase in liquor store thefts in cities like Edmonton and Calgary, using stolen merchandise as a form of street currency to pay for illegal goods and activities. Many thefts and robberies appear to be planned and co-ordinated events carried out by groups that enter a store and steal a large quantity of liquor in only a few minutes. There have also been several cases of violence toward liquor store employees.”

In addition to costing retailers millions of dollars in financial losses and placing a significant strain on police resources, the current trend poses a risk of violence toward workers and bystanders.

Along with the working group, an Edmonton-based retailer of wine, liquor, beer and cannabis is testing an ID-scanning technology used in nightclubs to address a growing number of thefts.

Alcanna Inc., which runs Liquor Depot, Wine and Beyond and Nova Cannabis, has teamed up with the Edmonton Police Service to install a PatronScan entry system at one of its stores in northeast Edmonton.

The technology requires customers to scan valid ID, such as a driver’s licence, to gain entry to the store.