IN response to the rise in retail crime across the country, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA) are joining forces to call for major changes to improve the safety of retail staff and business owners.

The move follows the introduction of tougher penalties for violent attacks on retail workers in WA as reported in Laws to protect retail workers and businesses from crime (Echo News, July 19).

This includes stronger laws and deterrents for offenders, improved relationships between the retail sector and police, improved information sharing, increased focus on the human impact of retail crime, and increased adoption of technology.

The push coincides with the 2024 Retail Crime Symposium held last week, which gathered leading experts with a common purpose to tackle retail crime, worker assaults and the infiltration of organised crime into stores and online environments.

ARA chief executive officer Paul Zahra said that retail crime is one of the most pressing issues facing the retail sector today.

“Retail crime has devastating impacts on businesses and their teams. It’s an issue that is multifaceted - with increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks, organised crime rings targeting retail stores, and violent confrontations that are taking an emotional toll on frontline workers,” Mr Zahra said.

“It’s something that keeps our retail leaders up at night as they fear for the safety of their staff.

“Good progress has been made to provide legislative protections for frontline workers, but the coverage is not yet universal across Australia,” he said.

“We need to continue pushing for these laws because this type of aggressive behaviour isn’t tolerated in any other workplace, and shouldn’t have to be tolerated by retail workers.”

The symposium highlighted a number of key areas of concern for the retail sector and opportunities for further collaboration.

“We need a joint approach to address the challenges impacting our sector, including stronger relationships between retailers and police, innovative solutions to capture more data to help track retail crime trends, and the responsible adoption of technology to help deter criminals and hold offenders to account,” he said.

NRA interim chief executive officer and legal director Lindsay Carroll said that now is the time for governments, law enforcement and retailers to come together to collectively combat an issue that is costing the economy, consumers and business owners.

“The 2024 Retail Crime Symposium gives us the opportunity to present a united stance against the issues that are most important for our sector right now, including the need to address the behaviour of aggressive individuals and demonstrate there are consequences for their actions,” Ms Carroll said.

The ARA and NRA have been advocating for stronger penalties for people who assault front-line workers.

“Research shows that stricter laws do have a positive impact for retailers and communities, by creating safer working and shopping environments,” she said.

However, police need more resources to effectively act on aggressive individuals, and retailers need to increase their reporting of these incidents to police.

“Last week’s symposium will hopefully create a pathway for action, ensuring that data and reporting mechanisms accurately reflect the heightened rates of aggressive behaviour.

“Our sector has been working with landlords, industry experts, governments and unions to support impacted businesses and the excellent work of the police across the country.”