A few months back, Vancity released a survey of the downtown strips in Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey and Kamloops. The results showed an increase in vandalism and retail break-ins and that retail businesses are greatly concerned about rising crime on the street.
You might think this goes against the lock-downs, and you are right that ‘feet on the street’ numbers are way down. In fact, Government Street in Victoria had one million fewer visits to the retail block but still retailers said their main concern was crime and safety.
If you are in this situation we understand the situation. Not only are retailers dealing with loss of revenue because of limited hours, closed locations, and other pandemic effects - but the pandemic has introduced more security issues. Closed stores, less people around, especially at night, has made store fronts vulnerable.