AUSTRALIA | The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) have acknowledged positive results released by South Australia around retail theft and broader crime categories.
South Australian Treasurer, Stephen Mulligan, said the state has seen a drop for the fifth consecutive month in shop theft. Alongside a ten percent drop in overall theft offences across the state, this demonstrated the tangible effect the expansion of Operation Measure is having on the retail sector.
ARA CEO, Chris Rodwell, said the statistics have been encouraging for retailers who have been facing devastating, dangerous and costly incidents of retail theft and other crime.
“Retail crime is a top concern across our industry, which employs one in ten Australians. It has a profound effect on the well-being of many retail team members, and the broader business impacts can be long-lasting and costly. Everyone has a right to feel safe at work or shopping, and we hope the results coming out of South Australia push other governments to lift their response,” said Rodwell.
“The South Australian Government has consistently led the country with its response program to retail crime, and we are now seeing sustained results from these actions. We have also seen strong progress in New South Wales, mainly due to changes in their retail crime legislation. Recent figures reveal that more than 100 people have been charged under NSW’s tougher laws aimed at protecting retail workers, including many repeat offenders.”
South Australia’s Operation Measure has continued to remain a highly effective investigative team, specifically dedicated to focusing on retail crime. The project has resulted in thousands of charges and effective, efficient responses to highly sophisticated criminal activity, which is at the core of Operation Measure’s work and fundamental to protecting the retail community and the public.
In the past year, crime reporting platform Auror suggested incidents of retail crime number 800,000 nationally, with almost one-in-ten retail crime events being violent. Retail crime conservatively equates to an estimated AUD 9 billion of losses for retail businesses.
“Retail crime is a scourge on our community and business wellbeing, and unfortunately, it is not going away on its own. We are keen to see leadership from the Federal Government in addressing this issue from a national perspective and call on the governments of Victoria and Queensland. The ACT is to move forward with their own legislation in his area.”
The ARA and NRA will hold a national Retail Crime Symposium in Melbourne in July, bringing together top leaders from the retail, government, and law enforcement sectors from around Australia. The symposium is a powerful opportunity to develop solutions to the urgent issues associated with retail crime.
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