Chamber hosting retail theft prevention seminar

Aug 21, 2017 | 9:49 AM

The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce are encouraging retailers in the area to be proactive when it comes to protecting your business from theft.

When the 2016 Crime Severity Index numbers were released in July, it showed the City of North Battleford having a 15 per cent hike in non-violent crime last year and holding the dubious distinction of being the number one community in Canada in that statistic.

“The (Battlefords) Chamber of Commerce feel we need join together and discuss what we can do to prevent retail theft,” said Janice Sander, an organizer of the event. “This is a service we (Chamber) felt we needed to do for our members with increased crime in the area.”

While the City of North Battleford crime numbers are cause for concern, the Town of Battleford recently saw a year to date decrease in crime of 21 per cent so far in 2017 with the RCMP handling 500 cases this year opposed to 637 last year.  

The event will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday Aug. 30 and will hear insight from Sgt. Chris Stephens of the Battlefords RCMP, lawyer Eldon B. Lindgren and Harris Sutherland, Operations Manager of Gold Eagle Casino.

“Harris Sutherland asked to be part of this event as he felt with his many years of experience that he would be able to provide tips that retailers can put into practice,” added Sander.” Sgt. Stephens is well known in the community and will also be able to give some advice to retailers as to how they can protect themselves.”

She added that Eldon B. Lindgren will let retailers know what legal rights they have when it comes to retail theft at a business.

“Take the privacy act as an example,” she said. “We’d like to know can we post a picture of a shoplifter in our store. That’s the type of questions we are hoping to have answered with this information session.

Chamber President Warren Williams will facilitate the evening which will be held at the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce Balch Mural meeting room on the Junctions of Highway 16 and 40 East in North Battleford.

 

roger.white@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW