Stock photo: shoppers being assisted outside a store. Photo 206810864 © Billy Blume | Dreamstime.com

By Glenn Hicks

COVID challenges

People ‘taking advantage’ of face masks: P.A. Police

Feb 6, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert police say people with ill-intent are taking advantage of the mandatory use of face masks at local businesses. Meanwhile, at least one private security officer says it has become much harder to positively identify suspects caught stealing on video surveillance.

Constable Craig Reddekopp, a 16-year veteran of the police department, couldn’t say if the wearing of face masks was causing an increase in crime at P.A. businesses, but added those up to no good were making full use of the provincial regulations.

“It’s sad, but during this time when we need to wear a face mask, those who enter a business with ill-intent can fit in for a long period of time because everyone is wearing a mask,” Reddekopp told paNOW. “They’re taking advantage of the situation because they can walk into a business relatively unnoticed because they fit in.”

He advised business owners to ensure they have quality video surveillance to avoid blurry freeze frames of suspects. Also, having at least two cameras operating ensures that if the counter-height facial angle isn’t useful because of a face mask, at least there is video of the suspect’s clothes or other identifying features. He said often a suspect is apprehended wearing the same clothes as they were wearing during a crime.

Reddekopp offered some advice to those business owners who may be concerned about the reality of face masks and their obvious ability to conceal identity.

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“Give the best customer service to everyone walking through the door. Most people will be appreciative of that but those who have ill-intent and nefarious activities planned will leave because they can’t get the space to do their crime,” he said.

Security challenges

It may be easier to monitor a smaller business than the floors of the much larger retailers in P.A. and that is causing issues for some.

One loss prevention officer in the city, who spoke to paNOW on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the major store he works for, said he had spent a lot of time talking to police about theft recently.

“Suspects know they can get away with things because everyone is wearing a face mask,” he said. “I’ve seen instances where the suspect is seen stealing by staff and the cameras have got the person red handed but because the person is wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a mask it makes it impossible to ID.”

The prevention officer asked the public to appreciate the extra challenges security staff are facing at this time.

“If you see a security guard taking a second look at you don’t take things personally. We have a job to do and for the last year it’s been very hard.”

Be respectful

Elise Hildebrandt with the P.A and District Chamber of Commerce said she had not received any calls from businesses expressing concerns about theft because of the universal wearing of face masks. But she was awaiting an answer from the province’s Business Response Team to see if grants for PPE and changes that needed to be made to businesses because of COVID also covered security camera installation.

“[The security cameras] are not something you may have considered before COVID but perhaps that’s the case now,” she said, but adding it was important to show everyone respect.

“We should all work together, be kind and treat everybody with respect. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going on that maybe we don’t see up front when we meet each other.”

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow