Property theft on the rise in rural Manitoba

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This article was published 25/08/2023 (829 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When a robber held a machete to Arishya Aggarwal’s stomach, she felt scared, protective of staff at her clothing store and dismayed by the brazenness of the crime.

Theft and robbery have become common at her family’s stable of businesses in Portage la Prairie, but the latest holdup was particularly upsetting.

“I felt disappointed in the state of our city that someone can walk into your workplace … with a machete in broad daylight, and can openly, confidently steal, knowing that nothing is going to happen to them,” said Aggarwal.

She and two employees were working at Olina Fashions when the robbery happened shortly after 6 p.m. on Aug. 13.

She said a man took clothing off hangers and then told staff he had to go outside to fetch his debit card so he could pay for the items.

When he returned, he grabbed the clothes, pulled out a machete and walked toward the door, where Aggarwal, 20, happened to be standing.

She had been hanging clothes and was holding a metal rod from a garment rack.

“He came up to me and said, ‘Move or I will hurt you,’” said Aggarwal. “He held the machete to my stomach and just kept repeating that he will hurt me.”

The man pushed through her and fled on a bicycle with some of the items. No one was physically harmed, but Aggarwal and the employees were emotionally shaken.

RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Julie Courchaine said officers immediately went to the store when the robbery was reported, while other units patrolled the area.

Police have not yet arrested a suspect.

Aggarwal said thefts and robberies have increased at the store, with some carried out by people who were previously arrested by police and released from custody.

“It’s becoming frustrating,” she said.

For those who are convicted, the crimes should carry strict punishments and, as required, resources for rehabilitation, said Aggarwal.

She doesn’t have much confidence that the punishment will fit the crime if the man who robbed her store is found and convicted.

“I don’t have a lot of faith (in the system) based on what I’ve seen in the past,” said Aggarwal, who is the Green party’s candidate in the riding of Portage la Prairie in October’s provincial election.

The subject of repeat or prolific offenders has become a hot-button issue in Portage, which is about 70 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

The city’s council has been working with the RCMP and provincial justice officials to address the problem.

The approach includes referrals to an organization that links suspects with social supports.

Courchaine said RCMP detachments work with councils to identify and address any concerns or trends, and with social services to direct people to the supports they need.

“We can’t arrest ourselves out of everything,” she said. “There are reasons why people commit crimes. There are societal things that we need to work together on to make change.”

Courchaine said rural crime trends tend to fluctuate and property crime decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data released Thursday showed a 1.5 per cent increase in property crime reports to the RCMP in July compared with the same month in 2022 (3,277 to 3,327).

Crimes against people increased by almost two per cent (1,833 to 1,866).

Drug enforcement cases jumped by 13 per cent, while the number of calls for service dropped by four per cent from year to year.

A recent Statistics Canada study found Manitoba had the country’s second-highest crime severity indexes for urban and rural areas, based on police-reported incidents in 2021.

CSI measures the volume and seriousness of crimes.

Manitoba’s rural index of 152.8 and urban index of 116.2 were second to Saskatchewan in both categories.

Kam Blight, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, said councils routinely raise concerns about crime or issues such as repeat offenders when he visits communities.

Theft and property crime are among the most common problems, with offences increasingly happening in daylight hours or on main roads or highways, he said.

“The criminals are very brazen, and largely that can be attributed to the fact they know there will be no consequences,” said Blight.

With members frustrated by the issue of repeat offenders, the association, which represents Manitoba’s 137 incorporated municipalities, has joined calls for bail and conditional release reform in Canada.

In May, the federal government tabled a bill intended to make it tougher for some repeat violent offenders to get bail.

Ahead of the Oct. 3 provincial election, the association launched a campaign, Let’s Grow Manitoba Together, that made a number of requests regarding public safety. It wants the next government to continue to push for bail reform, and prioritize social spending efforts to reduce crime.

Blight said there had been some improvement in supports for people struggling with substance use or other social issues, but more needs to be done.

The campaign also requests an increase in police funding and an expansion of community safety and well- being plans.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching