Store owners in Chinatown say they suffer thefts from their shops every day. (CBC)

A group called the Victim's Rights Action Committee has started an online petition urging Crown prosecutors to drop all charges against Chinatown businessman David Chen.

Last month, the Toronto grocery store owner and two employees chased a suspected thief. They caught him and tied him up until police came.

When officers arrived, however, at the store on Dundas Street West near Spadina Avenue, they arrested Chen and the two employees. Chen was charged with kidnapping.

The suspect was arrested and charged with theft.

The incident angered people in the community, who say thefts from their stores occur every day.

Chi-Kun Shi, a Toronto lawyer and member of the committee, says the law needs to be changed to allow business owners to protect their property.

"The problem [with the law as it stands] is that so long as someone manages to finish their shoplifting and leave your store, then the offence has been committed — and he is no longer committing it — and you are unable to effect a citizen's arrest," he said.

"And my understanding is that the police argument against Mr. Chen [is that the suspect] had already successfully stolen … and therefore you have no right to apprehend him, even though the stealing was all caught on the surveillance video," said Chi-Kun.

The committee says it hopes to have 50,000 signatures on the petition by the time Chen makes a court appearance later in the month.

On Thursday, about 20 Chinatown business owners packed a downtown Toronto police station, angry over mounting losses from shoplifters.

With items being snatched from their street stalls and shops every day, store owners say the police need to do more to protect them.

The frustration has surfaced before.

In 2008, local businesses got together and hired security guards to patrol the neighbourhood, which is one of the city's busiest tourist areas.

This year, they plan to do the same.

But Supt. Hugh Ferguson, whose 52 Division takes in Chinatown, says the reason it takes time for police to arrive is because all calls are ranked by priority.

"It's like a hospital, we triage what we do. It's not necessarily first-come, first-serve. Those incidents that are more urgent get priority attention," said Ferguson.

Pharmacist Brendan Hui says police warned shopkeepers not to take matters into their own hands.

"I am not too satisfied," said Hui. "Basically the policeman tell us not to make citizen arrest."