Dartmouth, N.S., store owner pepper sprayed during robbery

Convenience store owner steps-up security after a shocking encounter.

The owner of the Woodlawn Convenience Store in Dartmouth, N.S., is still in shock after a scary incident last Saturday night.

“I was closing the store at around 7 p.m. because it wasn’t a busy day. And a guy came in and just started spraying pepper spray on my eyes,” says Karankumar Patel. “I was totally shocked because I didn’t expect that in my wildest dream anything like this would happen in this area.”

Patel’s surveillance camera shows the individual striking him several times with a lottery tray.

Patel says the suspect left with lottery tickets valuing about $20 and says it was enough for him to get insurance and beef up security.

He immediately locked up lottery trays after the incident.

“Those kinds of incidents were never expected a few years before, but it has rapidly increased,” says Patel.

He has also started locking the store doors after dark to protect himself and his merchandise.

Big box stores have taken similar protective measures as shoplifting ramps up in the region.

“Locking things up is not a slam dunk. It hurts sales,” says retail analyst Bruce Winder. “It adds labor costs to the business model because you have to get someone to unlock it and walk them to the cash.”

Winder says one of the reasons shoplifting continues to rise is partly due to the current economic crisis.

“You’ve got a fairly high youth unemployment rate right now. You’ve got higher cost of living with rents…you’ve got higher food prices, higher insurance. A number of key input costs for people have went up significantly in the last five years. Some people are desperate to make money.”

With more retailers telling employees not to intervene, Winder says that it is a “perfect storm” for crime.

“We all know that shoplifting in Canada from retail is a bit of a loophole right now. It’s a bit of a weird situation where thieves can go in and steal and the perceived repercussions are quite low,” he says.

The incident at Patel’s store was part of a slew of recent robberies in the Halifax Regional Municipality

“We are investigating a series of robberies that occurred in Dartmouth over the last week between Jan. 8 and 11. We have arrested one male in connection with one of those incidents,” says Cst. Martin Cromwell, public information officer for Halifax Regional Police.

“Any incidents such as a robbery or where there’s violence or use of a weapon, it’s definitely concerning. And obviously concerning to the public and the staff that work at these stores…I would encourage any staff member to not engage with suspects and to, when possible, back away from. Let them do their thing and let us do our job.”

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page