Tasmania shoplifting statistics: Top 10 suburbs, crims named and shamed

Shoplifting costs Australian retailers an estimated $810m a year but Tassie retailers are fighting back against thieves in surprising new ways. HOW THEY’RE DOING IT >>

IT’S the crime which has retailers across Tasmania, some of them large conglomerates but many small businesses operating on tight margins, pulling their hair out.

According to Australian Institute of Criminology statistics cited by Tasmania Police, shoplifting costs retailers nationwide about $810m per year, based on an estimated 7.3 million incidents of shoplifting per year (just over 40 per retailer).

And, unfortunately, there’s little relief available to retailers – once an item has left the store, there is no form of insurance to help them recover their losses.

So, as they say, the best form of defence is a good offence: below you will meet a small businessman who owns a surf and skate apparel store who has done just that.

You’ll also meet some brazen Tasmanian offenders who think shoplifting is a victimless crime, plus discover just how prevalent the offence is on the island state, and how police target offenders.

HOW COMMON IS SHOPLIFTING IN TASMANIA?

Tasmania Police statistics show the number of shoplifting offences detected in Tasmania remained stable in the years prior to Covid-19.

According to data obtained by The Mercury, 2546 offences were detected in 2016–17; 2489 in 2017–18; 2378 in 2018–19; 2605 in 2019–20; and 1990 in 2020–21.

“While the number of retail businesses in Tasmania has increased, shoplifting offences have been relatively consistent in Tasmania over the past few years,” Assistant Commissioner Operations Jonathan Higgins said.

“Offences sharply declined, by about 25 per cent in 2020–21, which may be related to Covid-19.”

Tasmania Police also released a list of which suburbs are most targeted by shoplifters, with the CBD suburbs of Launceston and Hobart predictably taking out the top-two positions, with Devonport CBD in fourth.

“In relation to the ‘top 10’ shoplifting offence suburbs, these statistics also reflect areas which have the highest number of retail businesses, as well as key shopping precincts,” Assistant Commissioner Higgins said.

Chief executive of the Australian Retailers Association, Paul Zahra, said shoplifting-related loss was a kick in the guts over and above the difficulties retailers have facedduring Covid-19.

“Across the country, retail crime costs billions of dollars each year – everything from robberies to vandalism, and it’s incredibly disappointing to see these types of incidents, especially with the difficult trading conditions many businesses have been confronted with over the past two years,” he said.

“Shoplifting is an ongoing issue retailers are confronted with and it can have a significant impact on their bottom line.

“Security tags and surveillance systems play an important role in deterrence; however, in some instances, it’s not enough to stop brazen acts of theft and violence.

“The industry continues to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure adequate measures are in place to prevent retail crime from occurring.”

Of course, the true extent of the crime’s prevalence can only be guessed at – according to the NRA, “an estimated less than 20 per cent of retail crimes are reported to police”.

This is support by Tasmania Police, who say on their ‘Shop Stealing Prevention and Detection’ website, “the true extent of (shoplifting) is unknown because not all incidents are detected and/or reported to police”.

‘POLICE ALONE CAN’T REDUCE THIS TYPE OF OFFENDING’

“Police across the state are committed to targeting stealing and other anti-social and illegal behaviours in our key shopping precincts,” said Assistant Commissioner Higgins.

“We continue to implement strategies to reduce the incidence of shoplifting, identify offenders, and ensure they are held to account.

“We do this by using a range of resources including uniform and plain clothes police, and specific operations such as the recent task-force activity in Hobart and Launceston.

“Tasmania is a very safe place to live, but there are a small number of people who engage in criminal behaviour such as stealing.

“We have a high arrest and charge rate for these sorts of crimes, but police alone can’t reduce this type of offending.

“We regularly collaborate with business owners to help them better deter shoplifters and secure their stores.

“People who steal from businesses are opportunistic and will steal whenever there is an easy opportunity to do so.”

RETAILERS FIGHT BACK

Luke Dawson, owner of Launceston street, skate and surf apparel retailer Venue Clothing, says he spends a “ridiculous” amount of time ensuring his business doesn’t sustain shoplifting-related loss.

“We’re targeted daily,” he told The Mercury.

When he should be spending time “giving really good customer service”, he is instead forced to devote significant attention towards “ensuring you don’t lose stuff”.

“As soon as you take your eye off the ball, you’re hit, a lot of people are opportunistic,” he said.

“A large cohort do it as a business, stealing to resell.”

Mr Dawson said shoplifting has a huge impact on his bottom line because, unless theft is as a result of a burglary/break and enter, he can’t claim the loss on insurance.

“Even if they steal $2000 worth of clothes in one hit,” he said.

“And it’s not something we pass on to customers – marked recommended retail prices are set long before I receive the goods.”

However, in addition to investing in top-notch CCTV, Mr Dawson has another big gun in his arsenal to combat sticky-fingered shoppers – the closed Facebook group he founded about a decade ago, ‘Launceston Retail Watch’, which now includes up to 150 retailers in the greater Launceston area.

“We use LRW to report anti-social behaviour and theft, it works particularly well,” he said.

“If we have trouble with someone, we post up the information and share it around.

“Forewarned is forearmed.

“We work closely with Tasmania Police who is it as one of their assets (for charging offenders).

Meanwhile, Hobart outfit Jimmy’s Street & Skate says there is no better deterrent then being locally owned and respected in the community.

“We are pretty lucky being (heavily) involved in our local skate community,” manager Paul McMacken said.

Shop lifting in Tasmania

“If a kid steals something and goes to the skate park, all the skaters give them a hard time.

“(Contrast that) with Red Herring Surf Co, kids don’t seem to care if they steal from there.”

However, that’s not to say that Jimmy’s is immune from retail crime.

“We’ve got cameras in, but it only does so much, if you catch a 12-year-old there’s nothing you can really do,” Mr McMacken said.

“We do generally try and have a couple staff on (to prevent loss), if there’s a big group of 10 kids coming in, it’s pretty obvious what they’re here for, we’re happy to kick kids out.”

Mr McMacken said, being an independent, family-owned business also meant employees were more likely to “put themselves on the line to protect the shop”.

THE OFFENDERS

Anthony Dabs Debelin, 19

Mayfield man Debelin recently pleaded guilty to 14 offences, including multiple shoplifting charges.

repeatedly pilfering items as small as sausage rolls and flavoured milks, right up to a nearly $600 plunder of meat products from a supermarket.

Most significantly among his offences, Debelin admitted to stealing $568 worth of meat products from Woolworths Mowbray on January 28.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing a pack of Adidas socks worth $25 from Red Herring Surf Co Launceston on January 28; perfume worth $59.99 from Chemist Warehouse Mowbray, where he also trespassed, as well as a sausage roll worth $4.60 from BP Newnham, on March 23; stealing mobile phone cases worth $80 on November 26 last year from Ask Mobiles Launceston; and stealing flavoured milk, chocolate bars and pies from BP and IGA Newnham on February 17.

Debelin will be sentenced on April 29.

He has been remanded in pre-sentence custody since late-March.

Skye Christina Harris, 25

Among more than 65 offences Launceston woman Harris, who also maintains addresses in Hobart, pleaded guilty to recently to nearly 70 offences, including multiple charges of shoplifting.

Harris repeatedly stole grog, perfume and clothes from Launceston businesses, the court was told.

They included the 9/11 Bottleshop Newstead, Chemist Warehouse Newnham, Chemist Warehouse Mowbray, The Good Guys Launceston, Cellarbrations Kingston, Kathmandu Launceston and Toyworld Launceston.

Breaking News Breaking News Launceston woman Skye Christina Harris, 25. Picture: Facebook

Her modus operandi typically involved placing items in handbags and prams, and brazenly walking out of the store, sometimes while abusing attendants who tried to question her as they suspected foul play.

At times she was in the company of a co-accused, who distracted staff while Harris plundered their wares.

Harris was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, with parole-eligibility after she had served 10 months.

Barry Allen, 29

Itinerant ice-addicted thief Allen, understood to have grown up in the Launceston area and lived for a time at Kempton, used a wheelchair and even cross-dressed to pilfer more than $19,000 worth of goods from stores in Hobart and Launceston.

He pleaded guilty to dozen thefts, typically targeting bottle shops for high-end booze to sell on the black market for cash to buy drugs.

Allen typically shoved expensive bottles of booze down his pants or into tote bags and brazenly left without paying, at times becoming aggressive towards attendants who attempted to stop him.

Itinerant ice-addicted Tasmanian thief Barry Allen, 29, of Kempton for a time. Picture: Facebook

Alcohol he would steal included bottles of Penfolds Grange wine, Perrier Jouet and Dom Perignon champagne, Lark Distillery Rare Cask whisky and Hennessy Rare cognac, among other premium drops, the court heard.

On one occasion, Allen inexplicably donned a wig, makeup and female clothes to help facilitate his theft of several bottles of Penfolds Grange.

Midway through his spree, Allen accidentally shot himself in the leg, but his wheelchair provided a new avenue for him to flog goods.

He would sometimes children to help distract staff while he plundered their stores, wedging items in hidden compartments of the wheelchair.

In addition to bottle shops, Allen also helped himself to expensive stock from a Wilson Homes display home at Youngtown, Bunnings Glenorchy, Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths, Intersport Hobart and Redbill Surf Kingston.

Magistrate Simon Brown sentenced Allen to ten-and-a-half months’ imprisonment.

Ella-Paige Julia Stokell, 27

Among dozens of other offences she pleaded guilty to, including repeatedly driving unlicensed under the influence of ice and speed, Waverley woman Stokell targeted Jaycar Electronics in Launceston’s Brisbane St Mall on multiple occasions, helping herself to high-end vehicular electronics.

Breaking News Breaking News Waverley woman Ella-Paige Julia Stokell, 27. Picture: Facebook

Defence solicitor Fran McCracken told the court her client committed the thefts at Jaycar Electronics to hawk the goods due to financial stress she faced as a mother-of-two.

Stokell will be sentenced on May 4.

Zade Anthony Lynch (aka Zade Marshall), 23

Amid 37 offences Kings Meadows man Lynch pleaded guilty to previously included stealing grog from BWS Launceston and Liquor Stax.

It’s not the only dishonesty-type offence Lynch was convicted of.

Notably, on January 19, 2021, Lynch found himself in possession of a $1200 bicycle which was stolen from a van parked at Lithgow St, South Launceston, in the 48 hours’ prior, which he attempted to flog to an associate – who wasn’t interested – for a paltry $25.

Magistrate Ken Stanton sentenced Lynch to a 12-month Community Correction Order and fined him $1500.