The UCP government announcing the establishment of another “working group”, this time to fight liquor store thefts.
Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer says there is evidence criminal gangs are fuelling a dramatic increase in liquor store thefts in cities like Edmonton and Calgary and using stolen merchandise as a form of street currency to pay for illegal goods and activities.
He says Edmonton Police responded to more than 9500 liquor store thefts in 2019, an average of 26 a day, and triple the amount from the year before.
The working group will examine the recent spike in crime and weigh a broad range of actions to deter liquor store thefts.
