Workers under siege as retail violence increases across Australian cities

Australia’s retail crime capital has been revealed as workers suffer threats and assaults from blade-wielding thugs who want high-value items for the black market.

Organised crime gangs are driving a 30 per cent rise in violence towards frontline workers and stealing high value goods such as beauty products and trolleys of wagyu steak to sell on the black market and overseas.

Retail crime is surging across Australia with incidents involving weapons jumping by 66 per cent and attacks using knives and blades increasing by 40 per cent alone, new data from retail crime reporting software Auror has revealed.

The number of intimidating or threatening events increased by 39 per cent while the most common weapons used by retail crime thugs are knives and blades, hammers, scissors, box cutters and needles.

Christine Smith was assaulted by a shoplifter while working at a Kmart in Campbelltown in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

Ms Smith sustained two black eyes in the assault. Picture: Supplied

Auror senior director trust and safety Nick McDonnell said retail crime thugs were becoming increasingly brazen as they used violence and aggression to intimidate retail workers who were primarily teenagers working their first jobs.

“It’s not a frontline corporate that’s dealing with it, it’s young 16-year-olds in their first jobs [and] its 65-year-olds in their last jobs and everybody in between,” he said.

“It’s very challenging at a human level and that’s what our customers constantly tell us, this is actually about keeping people safe.”

CCTV footage shows an offender punching a Bunnings worker in the mouth at a store in Melbourne’s north. Picture: Supplied

Repeat offenders are four times more likely to be violent and one in four retail crime incidents involve violence, intimidation, threats and physical and verbal abuse.

About one in 10 retail crime events turns violent while just 10 per cent of offenders are responsible for committing 60 per cent of all harm and loss.

Nick McDonnell says prolific offenders are driving the surge in crime. Picture: LinkedIn

Mr McDonnell said prolific offenders were driving the surge and thieves were targeting high value products that ended up in shipping containers destined for the international market in destinations such as southeast Asia.

“We see high value electronic items, we see beauty products, beauty accessories and there was quite a targeted approach on milk powder at one point,” he said.

“When we say things like food or meat are targeted, what we are talking about is vast quantities of meat and it’s like wagyu steak. A high value trolley full of wagyu steak as opposed to a trolley full of mince right? The key point I guess is the high value items.”

Victoria has emerged as the retail crime capital of Australia with threatening events increasing by 52 per cent and serious events rising by 38 per cent, a trend that started during the pandemic that has continued to rise.

WA has experienced a 48 per cent increase in threatening events, NSW a 33 per cent increase, South Australia a 31 per cent increase and Queensland a 25 per cent increase.

Originally published as Workers under siege as retail violence increases across Australian cities