Retail Crime
ARA's Five Point Advocacy Plan
Retail crime is escalating to crisis levels across Australia, placing frontline retail workers at daily risk. New ABS data shows theft at a 21-year high, with almost half of incidents occurring in retail settings. Incidents are also becoming more violent, with organised groups operating across state borders and funding broader criminal activity.
This is not a challenge that any one state, territory or business can solve alone. Federal leadership is urgently needed to drive a nationally coordinated response, align inconsistent legislation and support the safety of the 1.4 million Australians who work in retail.
The ARA is calling for:
- Federal leadership to galvanise an urgent response from all states and territories and support awareness and safety training for retail workers, particularly with SMBs.
- Harmonised national retail crime legislation, including tougher penalties with a specific focus on crime committed in a retail setting. Tougher penalties have been successfully introduced in South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia.
- Adoption of best-practice protective legislation from across the country, including Workplace Protection Orders (WPOs) in the Australian Capital Territory and Jack’s Law in Queensland.
- Dedicated police retail crime units in every state and territory, using South Australia’s Operation Measure as a successful benchmark.
- Supporting the use of innovative technology to reduce the burden on retail teams and improve communication with police, including consideration of proven global technology such as facial recognition.
The following data and tables illustrate the scale, nature and urgency of the retail crime crisis, and highlight the gaps in current legislation and law enforcement responses across states and territories.
Scale of the problem
ABS Other Theft by State and National
ABS data shows theft is at a 21-year high, with 595,660 victims in 2024, up 6% on the previous year. “Other theft” covers offences such as shoplifting and theft from workplaces and is the ABS category under which most retail crime is recorded. Nearly half of all incidents (45% or 268,666 cases) occurred in retail settings, making stores the most frequent target.
| Category | Australia | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | NT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total Other Theft Victims |
595,660 |
118,533 |
169,673 |
152,421 |
81,930 |
47,693 |
11,279 |
7,904 |
6,227 |
|
YoY Change |
+6% |
+1% |
+29% |
<+1% |
–2% |
–7% |
+11% |
–3% |
–9% |
|
% in Retail Setting |
45% |
45% |
32% |
54% |
No data |
55% |
62% |
43% |
No data |
|
Victims in Retail |
268,666 |
52,862 |
54,923 |
81,892 |
No data |
25,973 |
6,954 |
3,387 |
No data |
Note: Jurisdictions that have implemented online retail crime reporting may have a more accurate figure than those without, such as Victoria. Without online reporting, instances of retail crime often go unreported.
Nature of the problem
Auror Retail Crime Data
Auror data highlights the type and severity of incidents. The evidence is clear: retail crime is becoming more violent and threatening.
| Category | Australia | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | NT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Threatening events |
+39% |
+39% |
+52% |
+25% |
+48% |
+31% |
No data |
No data |
No data |
|
Serious events |
+30% |
+31% |
+38% |
+17% |
+36% |
+20% |
No data |
No data |
No data |
Status update: Legislative & law enforcement
The retail sector has identified five priority preventative measures to strengthen employee health, wellbeing and safety.
Latest Media Releases
Retailers applaud Vic Opposition’s support for retail crime measures
Mon 15 September 2025
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) have today welcomed the Victorian Opposition’s support for stronger retail crime initiatives, including the adoption of the knife protection measure Jack’s Law, which successfully works in Queensland.
Retailers bear the brunt as theft surges to 21-year high
Wed 3 September 2025
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says today’s ABS Recorded Crime – Victims data confirms what retailers see every day: theft is rising to crisis levels, with retail stores a top target.
Australian retailers committed to safer workplaces
Tue 26 August 2025
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) confirmed today that retailers across Australia are making major investments in creating safer workplaces in the face of significant industry challenges, especially in response to the surge in retail crime.
Retailers call for urgent, national response to retail crime
Thu 24 July 2025
In response to the alarming rise in retail crime across the country, retailers, government, police, unions and crime experts are coming together to help improve safety and crime outcomes for retailers, teams and customers.
Permanence of Queensland’s Jack’s Law will help fight scourge of retail crime and violence
The National Retail Association (NRA) and Australian Retailers Association (ARA) commend the Queensland Government for making permanent the pioneering Jack’s Law, saying it will give police immediate powers to proactively target potential violent offenders.
Victorian retailers back urgent action to ban machetes
Mon 26 May 2025
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) say the Victorian Government’s decision to ban the sale of machetes is an important response to the horrifying events at Northland shopping centre last night, but broader reforms are urgently needed.
SA retail crime improvement highlights impact of focused government response
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) have acknowledged positive results released this week by South Australia around retail theft and broader crime categories, as an example of what’s achievable nationally.
Shop with respect: violence and aggression against retail workers is never okay
Thu 1 May 2025
The Minns Labor Government is reminding consumers to behave respectfully, as new figures reveal more than 100 people have been charged under tough laws to help protect retail workers.
“Knives in the wrong hands fuel retail crime,” retailers say
Retailers have identified knives and blades as a weapon of choice in retail crime, triggering calls from the sector to cut red tape around wanding and increase restrictions on knife sales.
Australian retailers record huge spike in armed and violent retail crime
Fri 21 March 2025
Australian retailers recorded a staggering 66 per cent year-on-year increase in retail crime involving weapons last year, alongside a large spike in violent and threatening events, highlighting the urgent need for government leadership to tackle this issue head-on.
ARA x NRA response to QLD knife incident
“The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) continue to call for strengthened safety measures to protect retail workers amidst a concerning wave of violence in retail settings, with around 700,000 retail crime incidents recorded nationally in the past year.
Retailers call for national consistency on knife laws
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has voiced support for new knife laws in NSW that will improve safety for retailers and the broader community.
From Monday 9 December, NSW police will have the authority to scan people for knives or weapons without a warrant in areas including public transport zones, shopping precincts, certain sporting venues, and special events.
Resources
Retail environments can be a tempting target for criminals, with retail crime costing Australian retailers billions every year. And that cost doesn’t include the loss of time spent responding to the crime or the stress and other mental health impacts of witnessing a criminal event.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of crime occurring in your business and minimise its impact in the event that it does occur.
Learn how to prevent and respond to common types of retail crimes including shoplifting, violent customers, armed robbery, and credit card fraud.
Keeping staff safe
Staff members can play an important role in preventing and responding to crime, but keep in mind that their safety should be your number one priority. If you work in your shop yourself, that includes your own safety too. Don’t try to be a hero – human life is always more valuable than any goods or cash stolen. Some key measures to keep staff safe include:
- Avoid having one person working alone. In the event of staff shortages, consider closing areas of your store so that your shop floor is always observable to staff
- Display a list of relevant phone numbers to contact in an emergency
- Consult staff when developing protocols to respond to criminal activity and give them opportunities to provide feedback
- Communicate protocols to staff and consider holding drills
- Emphasise to them that their number one priority should be ensuring their safety
- In the event that staff members witness violent crime, offer them counselling or refer them to crime victim services (see further resources
Avoiding Credit Card Chargebacks
Credit card chargebacks are on the rise and can be a growing cost to your business. Merchant fees and retrieved funds impact on cashflow, while managing the disputes take time and energy that could be better directed to your business. Learn how to recognise and protect your business from the disruption caused by fraudulent charge backs.
Safe Cash Handling
Keeping cash at your business can increase the risk of robberies and burglaries, but even in the digital age, there are many reasons why retailers may choose to trade in cash. From using safes to counting cash to transporting it to the bank, these are the things you need to know to handle cash safely and discreetly.
Security Technology
From CCTV to alarms to RFID tags, technology can be a useful tool both in deterring crime and catching offenders.
Armed Robbery
Armed robbery is one of the most frightening types of retail crimes, but there are steps you can take to minimise harm if one does occur. With the right preparation, such as training staff how to respond, using security technology, and maximising visibility in your store, you can keep your employees safe and make it more likely for an offender to be identified and caught by the police. Always obey the offender – no amount of money is worth risking your life.
Customer Aggression
While most customers are polite and reasonable, there will always be those who, for various reasons, behave poorly. Staff should be trained in how to respond to these types of customers, with an emphasis on good customer service and de-escalation techniques.
Making a Police Statement
For many of the types of crimes listed above, staff and customers who witnessed the event may be asked to provide a police statement. A police statement is nothing to be intimidated by – it is simply an account of what the person witnessed, including what the offender did and said, what they looked like and what they sounded like. Here are the kinds of details the police might like to know.
Training
Manage Disrespectful, Aggressive or Abusive Customers
Do you, or your team, know how to effectively deal with customer aggression? This Skill Set offered by the ARA Retail Institute is designed for individuals seeking additional skills to manage disrespectful, aggressive or abusive customer behaviour. It particularly applies to retail industry work environments.
Loss Prevention Micro-Course
This program has been designed to lead you through an investigation into the fundamentals of store security and safety, followed by the application of each in a retail context.
Further resources
Important phone numbers
000 – for emergencies
131 444 – police assistance for reporting a crime when there is no immediate danger
