Abbotsford Police arrest 16 people in 10-hour retail theft enforcement

ON September 11, Abbotsford Police officers conducted a large-scale retail theft enforcement operation.

The operation, dubbed Project Pumpkin Spice LAW-tte, was led by Abbotford Police’s Street Outreach Response Team (SORT) and involved 11 officers over a 10-hour period. During the operation, 16 people were arrested for a range of offences, including new theft-related charges and outstanding warrants. Officers also seized a vehicle as offence-related property and are pursuing its forfeiture.

In total, more than $1,600 worth of merchandise was identified as stolen, recovered, or returned during the blitz. Many of those arrested are known to police. Throughout the operation, officers also conducted warrant and condition compliance checks on numerous individual’s officers encountered.

Police noted that Abbotsford is home to hundreds of businesses, ranging from large retail chains and big-box stores to small, family-owned shops. As part of Project Pumpkin Spice LAW-tte, 20 retail outlets across Abbotsford participated in the operation. Funding for this initiative was provided by the province of BC’s Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program (CSTEP) funding stream.