Jewelry store robberies on the rise
‘Violent’ smash and grabs are on pace to double last year’s total
It is a terrifying pattern.
A group of masked thieves enters a jewelry store armed with hammers, smashes display cases and stuffs bags with loot.
And then, they’re gone.
The entire episode only takes two to four minutes but can leave workers, shoppers and nearby pedestrians horrified.
“It’s very violent and the threat of getting hurt is real,” Waterloo Regional Police Staff Sgt. Ian Kerr said.
There have been four brazen heists at jewelry stores in the region this year, which is on pace to more than double last year’s total of three.
Two happened earlier this month at Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener over a 10-day span and have pushed the daring — often daytime — robberies into the spotlight.
On May 18, five masked thieves armed with hammers, a gun and pepper spray shattered display cases at Lola Jewellers before escaping in a white SUV. Two employees were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Nine days later, another jewelry store in the same mall was hit by four people also using hammers to smash display cases before fleeing in a getaway car — a dark-coloured sedan — which was driven by a fifth accomplice.
When asked if Fairview Park Mall was going to beef up security, Cadillac Fairview, which owns and manages the mall, provided an emailed statement.
“Unfortunately, these incidents are a broader reflection of what is happening in society,” the statement read. “CF and other shopping centre landlords are working collaboratively with local police authorities with regards to the increase of crime targeting shopping centres/retailers.”
While jewelry store thefts have
‘‘ It’s very violent and the threat of getting hurt is real. STAFF SGT. IAN KERR WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE
seen an uptick, police say total robberies are on par with years past.
As of May 15, there have been 95 total robberies (38 commercial), which is close to the yearto-date average of 97 total robberies (33 commercial) from 2019 to 2023.
Still, police are taking the recent jewelry heists seriously.
“Ours is a very small amount but I realize it’s very important for everybody that’s here because when they occur, they are very scary events and violent and affect everyone around,” said Kerr.
Mall jewelry stores in Waterloo Region are targets, in part, since some, such as Fairview Park Mall and the Cambridge Centre, are close to Highway 401.
“It’s an easy escape route,” said Kerr.
Police can’t comment on the investigations into the two recent Fairview Park Mall robberies but said similarities between jewelry store thefts — groups of five, masks and hammers — don’t necessarily mean they are linked.
“I would expect them to be very similar because it’s the easiest way to do it,” said Kerr. “They (smash and grabs) don’t take a lot of time.”
It seems like a risky crime. Malls and stores have video cameras and security guards, and customers and mall shoppers have phones at the ready.
“You have to remember that often times we’re arresting people that are very young and won’t have a lot of access to easy money,” said Kerr. “I’m not going to speak to the amounts they’re getting from the stores but, even if they are only getting a couple of thousand, that’s still a lot of money to a kid sometimes.”
Selling stolen loot is easier too. “You don’t have to go to a traditional fence, like you see in the movies,” said Kerr.
“There are people that will fence stuff, but I don’t think it’s that necessary anymore with social media and all the online marketplaces.”
Police are proactive. They often identify jewelry stores that seem prone to these kinds of capers and approach staff ahead of time with suggestions to make things more inconvenient for the “bad guys.”
One way is to simply make it more difficult to get in.
“In every single one of these robberies everyone is masked and have their hoods pulled up,” said Kerr.
“We’re passed the COVID days where everyone is masked at all times. If I was in charge of a jewelry store, nobody with a mask is coming in unless they remove the mask first and then they can put it back on after they come in.”
Robbing jewelry stores seldom pays off — even if thieves aren’t local.
Police have made arrests in four of the seven thefts at mall jewelry stores since 2023. The last two are still under investigation.
“When you’re coming from out of town into another person’s city there is that (perceived) anonymity,” said Kerr. “People think even if their mask falls off, they aren’t going to be able to be identified. What they forget is that we have quite good contacts with all the different police services’ robbery units.
“It’s nice that we’re able to get them. The problem is that when we get them, usually there is someone else out there that thinks it’s a good idea and tries to do it again.”