Saskatoon StarPhoenix Staff
The Saskatoon Police Service laid 42 charges and recovered more than $2,600 in stolen merchandise during its third and final retail crime blitz operation in 2025.
In a news release, SPS said the crackdown, known as Project Shield, occurred on six different days at retail locations across the city in December.
Members of the community mobilization, alternative response and bike units worked with loss prevention officers and private security during the blitz.
Police say the focus was to “identify and arrest prolific and violent offenders for a variety of crimes.” Of the 30 arrests made, police said 15 were repeat offenders and 10 were considered violent.
“During the blitz, information was also released about advancements in ongoing investigations occurring in both Edmonton and Saskatoon as a direct result of arrests made during Project Shield,” police said.
Last May, officers were in businesses along the 200, 300 and 400 blocks of Confederation Drive over four days. In a release, police said 22 people were arrested (15 of them considered either repeat or violent offenders), 19 charges were laid and more than $1,500 worth of stolen property was recovered.
The second blitz took place over four days in August. Businesses on Confederation Drive, Eighth Street and Arlington Avenue, along with Midtown Mall, were targeted.
Officers arrested 52 people, laid 64 charges, executed nine warrants, and recovered more than $6,000 worth of stolen property during that time.
According to police, Project Shield’s goal was to arrest violent and repeat offenders while preventing financial damage to businesses and reducing the risk of harm to the public and employees.
“Prolific shoplifters have become more common and violent, often concealing/producing weapons during the theft. Police encountered this, along with aggressive panhandling, intoxicated people and illicit drug use during the four days of the blitz,” the release noted.
Project Shield coincides with the Retail Council of Canada’s “Retail Blitz,” which targets retail crime across the country.
