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.
New data from Australian retailers using retail crime reporting software, Auror, showed events
involving knives and blades were up by more than 40 per cent in 2024, compared to the previous
year.
Nationally, retailers recorded a 30 per cent increase in violent or serious events, as well as a 39 per
cent increase in threatening events last year.
Meanwhile, Victorian retailers recorded the largest jump in both violent and threatening retail crime
events, up 38 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively.
Auror Senior Director Trust & Safety Nick McDonnell said the data shows that retail crime is
becoming more brazen, more violent and more organised, and the biggest impact is on frontline
workers, customers and their communities.
"What's confronting is, about one in four retail crime events last year involved some form of
violence, intimidation, threats, physical or verbal abuse," he said.
"Police do an incredible job keeping us all safe and there is no substitute for the hands-on work they
do in our community, but crime in retail is such a high-volume crime type that it's impossible to
address it all.
"However, focusing on repeat offenders causing the majority of the high-volume, high-harm
offences is critical – and you can only do that if you have visibility to the total problem."
Organised retail crime networks and prolific offenders continue to cause the most harm, as data
shows 10 per cent of offenders last year were responsible for over 60 per cent of the total harm and
loss.
Peak bodies, the National Retail Association (NRA) and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) are
jointly calling on policymakers to prioritise violent retail crime as a matter of urgency.
NRA Interim CEO Lindsay Carroll said retailers and police are doing what they can in an incredibly
challenging environment; but policymakers need to prioritise dealing with this community harm
nationally, across all levels of government.
"Governments need to give retailers and police the right tools, whether that be funding, policy
changes or even just political leadership, to effectively address this growing trend of violence in
retail, and so repeat offenders can be identified and brought to justice," Ms Carroll said.
"Criminals have become bolder, and our system needs to keep up; this includes leaning into
technology-based solutions that can deal with this challenge at scale."
ARA Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown said alongside more tech-based solutions and funding
for security measures, Australian retailers need ongoing support in the form of tougher penalties for
offenders across every state and territory.
"Retail crime has a profound and lasting impact on frontline retail staff and in some instances,
customers. Everyone has a right to feel safe while at work or shopping," Ms Brown said.
"Unfortunately, we're continuing to see an increase in retail crime and aggressive behaviour across the
country, particularly in Victoria; and we remain focused on the need for the government to implement
proven measures that improve the safety of retail workers."
Australian retailer data for 2024 (compared to 2023):
● The top 10% of offenders were responsible for around 60% of total harm and loss across
Australia last year.
● Almost 1 in 10 retail crime events were violent last year. Meanwhile, 1 in 4 retail crime events
involved violence, intimidation, harassment, threats, or physical or verbal abuse.
● Weapon events were up by 66% last year.
● Events involving knives and blades were up by more than 40% last year.
● Knives and blades made up more than 50% of all events involving weapons.
● The top weapons across all states and territories were knives and blades.
● Intimidating or threatening events increased by 39% last year.
● Violent or serious events increased by 30% last year.
● Comparatively, New Zealand experienced a 10% increase in weapon events, 11% increase in
serious events, and uptick of 14% for threatening events.
Key states
| Category | NSW | QLD | VIC | SA | WA |
| Threatening events | Up 33% | Up 25% | Up 52% | Up 31% | Up 48% |
| Serious events | Up 31% | Up 17% | Up 38% | Up 20% | Up 36% |
| Top weapons | Knives and blades Hammers Needles Firearms |
Knives and blades Hammers Scissors Firearms |
Knives and blades Hammers Scissors Box cutters |
Knives and blades Box cutters Bat Needles |
Knives and blades Scissors Hammers Needles |
All data has been entered by retailers using Auror. Data analysis has been controlled to account for Auror's growth and
increase in software engagement over time.
Threatening behaviour includes aggression, verbal abuse, erratic or discriminatory harassment. Serious behaviour
includes physical abuse, serious aggression, violence or weapons involved.
About Auror
Auror is a global software company providing retail crime reporting services to retailers and law
enforcement.
The software allows retailers to record crime in a retail setting minutes after an event occurs and
report it safely and securely.
This information empowers retailers to make informed decisions to protect their people, customers
and property and to more effectively work with law enforcement to address the large scale of retail
crime impacting our communities. Auror is not a camera or hardware provider.
Globally, Auror is used by more than 3000 law enforcement agencies and more than 45,000 retail
stores across Australia, New Zealand, North America and the United Kingdom.
