Smash-and-grab jewelry store heists are a thing the industry’s working to put thieves on ice [Video]

It’s a scene that’s become all-too familiar in the retail world: Burglars smashing the windows and doors of shops in daring fashion and at lightning speed, then making off with high-value, easy-to-snatch goods.

Jewelry stores have become the targets of many of these thieves. And they don’t just use hammers: in one recent case in Mississauga, Ont., a vehicle rammed into the store as thieves raced to enter.

These daring crimes became more commonplace following the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened last year, said Scott Hayes, security adviser with Jewellers Vigilance Canada, a non-profit arm of the Canadian Jewellers Association.

Now, Jewellers Vigilance Canada is preparing to meet with its members to address the issue amid a rise in smash-and-grabs in Ontario. The meeting’s date hasn’t been set yet, but it’ll include presentations from police and insurance companies.  

I can tell you that merchants, especially in the retail side, are definitely concerned.– Scott Hayes, Jewellers Vigilance Canada

“I can tell you that merchants, …