A new report has revealed a sharp increase in retail theft incidents in Melbourne over the past year, with the city now named Australia’s retail crime hotspot.
The report by Noggin, based on three years’ worth of police data, shows a surge in retail crime in Melbourne, from 1,702 cases in 2023 to 3,091 in 2024.
Further data from Retail Drinks’ recent Retail Liquor Industry Safety & Security Report sheds new light on the security issues specific to liquor retailing, and found bottle shops in Victoria and Queensland to be worst affected.
Jeremy Smith, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Resilience & Security Sales at Noggin, says the increase in retail crime presents a challenge for retailers, staff and customers.
“Sharp rises across the country demonstrate that what may have formerly been isolated spikes are now turning into broader national trends. The findings, therefore, highlight an urgent need for more coordinated prevention strategies and more sustained investment in safety and security technologies tailored to the changing retail landscape.”
Although Melbourne’s surge in retail crime outpaced other capital cities, Adelaide reported a 53.2 per cent increase in incidents, while Syndey saw a smaller increase of 5.4 per cent.
Previously Australia’s retail crime hotspot, Perth recorded a 25 per cent drop in reported incidents, and now ranks third among capital cities for total retail crime.
Identifying the location, nature and frequency of incidents taking place in retail liquor stores across the country, Retails Drinks’ report found that almost 50 per cent of staff experience incidents of retail crime at least weekly, while 11 per cent of customers had witnessed an incident.
With liquor being one of the most stolen items across all of retail, Retail Drinks CEO Michael Waters says the statistics are alarming and highlight the urgent need for change.
“Retail liquor stores are being targeted daily, and without immediate government intervention, we risk further harm to the community, store closures, and lost jobs,” Waters said.
“Crime across the entire retail sector has been escalating at alarming rates with liquor being one of the most frequently stolen items due to its portability, high value and ease of consumption.”
The report found that 45 per cent of retail and liquor store owners and staff did not feel safe in their current store environment, and due to prohibitive costs, many stores were found to operate without the necessary security measures in place.
The report also revealed that a significant number of retail crime incidents are not being reported to the police, which means official government statistics on retail crime don’t express the true magnitude of the problem.
“What’s increasingly concerning is the number of unreported incidents. We can see from survey respondents that most are never reported to the police, meaning the official statistics from governments across the country only tell a fraction of the story, meaning existing government action is falling short,” Waters added.
“Without additional support from government, industry, and the wider community, retail liquor stores will continue to be targeted by criminals.
“The report will be distributed to key industry stakeholders, government policymakers, and law enforcement agencies, and we will call on Governments to increase police resources, get tougher on crime, and support impacted businesses to fund security measures and target harden their stores.”