The GTHA has seen a spike in jewelry store robberies in recent months, with Toronto police reporting nearly double the number of incidents this year compared to last year.


An industry expert says jewelry store owners in the region are expressing concern over the alarming trend as they worry about the future of their businesses.


“The people I’ve talked to… they’re definitely concerned about what’s going to happen and are rightfully afraid of what’s going to happen to their stores in the future,” Scott Hayes of Jewelers Vigilance Canada (CJA) told CP24 on Friday. com.


Hayes said that as part of the CJA’s work, they are in regular contact with jewelers and law enforcement agencies to assist with crime prevention strategies.


“I have had conversations with local police departments who have told me that statistically they are seeing an increase in the number of jewelry store robberies in the GTA,” Hayes said.


Toronto police told CP24 that 43 jewelry store thefts have been reported to police so far in 2024, compared to just 21 last year.


Although York Regional Police were unable to provide specific statistics, they confirmed that the number of jewelery store robberies in the region has increased year on year.


Earlier this week, police in York Region said more than a dozen suspects were believed to be involved in a recent incident Robbery at a jewelry store in a Markham shopping center. Four of the six suspects arrested in the incident were teenagers, police said.


In an incident reported Thursday by Hamilton police, five suspects allegedly backed a vehicle into the windshield a jewelry store during a robbery in Ancaster, Ont.


“You see the number of people involved in an individual incident increase,” Hayes said, adding that this increases the chance that one of the suspects will quickly grab something of high value.


He said the ease with which the stolen items can be unloaded makes jewelry stores an attractive target.


“These things are what we call ‘near-cash’ instruments. Gold, jewelry and all that. The value is the value. It doesn’t fluctuate much depending on where you sell it, whereas a Honda Civic in the GTA is a different price than in Gimli, Manitoba,” Hayes said.


“Gold, silver and jewelry, the price is very static and can be easily transferred and moved from one person to another. That’s why I think they choose it, because you can get a lot of value from a very short incident. ”


He said products in jewelry stores are also not tracked in the same way as other high-value goods.


“It’s not like there are serial numbers on gold bracelets or on every diamond or (piece of) jewelry you pick up,” he said.


“So we’re seeing this trend of more of these robberies.”


Hayes said part of his organization’s job is to provide jewelry store owners with information about making their businesses safer.


He said he believes that in most cases, suspects will scout the store before committing the robbery.


“People will go in to see what kind of security you have. Not just the physical security, but there are also policy issues that you may have. “The staff seems to pay attention to who is coming and going,” he said.


“How safety-conscious is the store itself?”


He said it may not be financially feasible for jewelry store owners to implement all possible security measures, but certain measures can go a long way in deterring potential criminals from targeting that particular business.


Suspects want “the path of least resistance,” Hayes added.


He said one of the most important pieces of advice he often gives owners is to reduce the amount of jewelry they keep out at any given time.


“If you (typically) have $1.5 million worth of jewelry, you could have $500,000 or $250,000,” he said.


He said time-release safes, which take several minutes for the safe to open after a code is entered, can help protect valuables.


“It will cost you five minutes, but it is unlikely that your client will leave more than five minutes late,” he said.


Hayes said some stores have started installing security posts in front of the building to prevent suspects from driving into the stores to break display cases.


“From a cost-benefit perspective, I think you get a lot of bang for your buck if you have the ability to put that in,” he noted.


“That would probably go a long way toward stopping those vehicle-destroying attacks.”




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