Four-day retail sweep leads to 31 arrests

Police recovered $6,190 in stolen property following shoplifting crackdown conducted over four days in September, according to a release from Coquitlam RCMP.

A total of 31 people were arrested and two alleged weapons were seized.. Police are recommending 34 charges.

“Retail theft affects everyone. It impacts businesses, places employees in difficult situations, and can contribute to broader criminal activity within our communities,” stated Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Adriana O’Malley.

Arrests include one woman accused of swiping more than $1,500 worth of merchandise.

Officers also recently recovered more $2,400 worth of clothing stolen from a mall, although the two suspects escaped.

None of the charges have been proved in court.

Police are planning to continue the operation through the holiday shopping season.

While Coquitlam property crime rates have generally been flat or in decline, shoplifting has risen sharply.

Coquitlam businesses reported 168 incidents of shoplifting in the first trimester of 2026 – 86 percent more than the three-year average.

That increase is largely due to affordability, Coquitlam RCMP Insp. Todd Balaban told Coquitlam council earlier this year.

“It’s not the transient or unhoused persons,” he said. “it is the mom and pops . . . grabbing bread and eggs and milk.”

While there are some instances of shoplifting at clothing shops, most of the shoplifting involves people taking staple items at grocery stores, he added.

Police look to target repeat offenders but in many cases the crime is unreported, he said.

“A lot of times loss prevention officers will only call us after the fact because they want to track it for the purpose of insurance,” he said. “By that time there’s nobody in custody.”