VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Shoplifting is surging in Virginia Beach, according to a recently released report.
In fact, numbers show Virginia Beach is right up there with Los Angeles and New York City when it comes to dealing with the issue.
A recent report from the Council on Criminal Justice on Shoplifting Trends looked at 24 cities that routinely report theft data.
New York (64%), Los Angeles (61%) and Virginia Beach (44%) had the largest increases in reported shoplifting over the last four years.
Almost every other city in the study's sample saw a decline, including San Francisco, Chicago and St. Louis.
"Virginia Beach is not immune to those individuals who are going into stores and just walking out with a product. And those numbers add up over time, and it's reflected in our crime stats," said Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.
Virginia Beach crime statistics show a 22% increase in overall theft last year.
Oftentimes, it's the same stores hit time and time again.
The top ten locations that thieves targeted the most last year in Virginia Beach accounted for almost one-fifth of all reported larcenies.
Thieves hit the ABC store on Northampton Boulevard the most, with 136 reported incidents.
Three different Walmarts made the top ten list, along with Wegmans and the ABC store on Shore Drive.
A recent 13News Now Investigation revealed that 10% of all thefts in Virginia Beach last year were happening at ABC stores, compared to just 4% in 2020.
“We’re very hopeful that retail establishments will work with their local law enforcement to address those," said Chief Neudigate.
D. Nachnani, owner of Coastal Edge, said someone stole clothes from his Oceanfront store minutes before 13News Now interviewed him about this very topic late last week.
“We were fortunate in catching this shoplifter today — and no one got hurt," said Nachnani.
Nachnani used surveillance cameras last summer to help solve a break-in at the same Oceanfront store.
“Over the last 12 months, we definitely have taken note and added more security to each of our retail locations," he said.
While cameras may not always be a deterrent, they can prove helpful when making arrests.