The Edmonton Police Service and local shop owners say that meat and cheese thefts are becoming an increasingly large problem in our city.
Teresa Spinelli who owns the Italian Centre Shop told CTV News that the thieves who are stealing the expensive products are costing her business a lot of money.
“They don’t just steal a piece of cheese, they steal the whole cooler,” said Spinelli.
The Italian Centre Shop isn’t the only business that has been stolen from. EPS says that they receive calls on a weekly basis for cheese and meat related thefts.
Sgt. Steve Sharpe with the Edmonton Police Service said the thieves target meat and cheese because of their high retail value.
“I think desperate times call for desperate measures,” said Sharpe, “Certainly it’s something we'll have to keep an eye on.”
Sharpe also said that it can be hard to track the stolen products because it’s not always easy to find their origin.
“Once it’s removed from the store and separated from its packaging it’s hard to track it back to its original source,” Sharpe said.
Police can’t say whether the surge in thefts is related to Alberta’s economic downturn, but EPS suspects that the thefts are likely to continue.
To lessen the impact, police suggest that store owners communicate with one another about when thefts are taking place, and to enhance their store’s surveillance.
With files from Ashley Molnar
