Retailers have no choice but to start working together against shoplifters, says deputy police chief Gary McGuigan. (CBC)

Police and retailers around Charlottetown are opening up new lines of communication to battle shoplifting in the city.

Police and business owners across the city are holding monthly meetings and will soon be sharing tips and experiences online.

Police say the tactics used by shoplifters are growing increasingly sophisticated. They gather in gangs, work their way through the box stores at the top of University Avenue, and then they might head downtown to target stores there.

Store clerks and loss prevention officers are oblivious to what's going on.

"Although we were next door to each other, we were finding that the staff didn't know each other so they didn't call each other when something was happening," said Tanya O'Brien, general manager of the Confederation Court Mall.

To work against the new tactics, the lines of communication are now opening up. Loss prevention officers from businesses around the city get together with police on a monthly basis to compare notes. Charlottetown Police are preparing a web page for the private security officers to log into and share information about what's been happening in their stores.

"If there is a theft group or a ring from somewhere that's working the big box stores and making their way downtown, doing the same type of thefts using some tactics or diversions, the loss prevention officers will be able to go on the website, add that narrative, share that intelligence and information with everybody," said Charlottetown deputy police chief Gary McGuigan.

McGuigan said with thieves who target Charlottetown stores becoming increasingly organized, store owners have no choice but find ways to keep up.

For mobile device users: Can police and store owners keep up with new shoplifting strategies?