Delta police joined forces with security officers working at two Tsawwassen malls to help capture shoplifters, in a venture informally known as “Boost and Bust.”
The Boost and Bust program — so named because a “boost” is when a someone shoplifts, and a “bust” is when they’re arrested by police — took place at the Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons malls, and was an exercise in relationship building, DPD public affairs coordinator Cris Leykauf said.
“It’s about much more than arresting shoplifters – for Delta Police it’s about building relationships with businesses and ensuring our police officers have excellent knowledge of the facility and surrounding area,” Leykauf said in a DPD press release. “Should our officers have to respond to an emergency in the venue, they’ll be that much more prepared.”
During the program, Delta police officers worked both overtly and covertly with mall security, spreading officers throughout the mall and surrounding area to find people committing crimes (or people wanted on arrest warrants) and then safely arrest them. Police also looked for stolen cars, theft-from-auto suspects and property crime offenders.
The press release indicated that the program was successful, as police did arrest several suspected shoplifters.
grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.com
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