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BRISBANE CRIME BULLETIN 
31 July  2019
The following trends in retail crime have been witnessed by Brisbane retailers over the past few weeks, as relayed across the NRA SafeCity Network.

Thank you to all of the retailers reporting these crimes and trends.  
The more we all report, the more we all know. 
Products being targeted
 
  • Jewellery-gold bracelets, necklaces and diamond ring
  • Female wallets/purses
  • Size 8 Ladies footwear
  • Fragrances- any brand
  • Make-up/ lipsticks- any brand 
  • Skin care products -any brand
  • Champion Lingerie
 
  • Handbags
  • Tops for senior women
  • Travel Books
  • Self-help Books
  • Tarot Cards
  • Cold Beverages
  • Towels
Criminal Behaviour
Robbery
  • A store that specialises in product exchange was broken into after hours. The store received $10,000 worth of property damage and $10,000 worth of goods were stolen.
  • A jewellery store was broken into after hours. The thieves gained access to the store from one of the front displays.
Snatch and Runs:
  • A jewellery store has encountered multiple snatch and runs over the past year. The last item stolen a month ago, was a solid gold bracelet. The individual entered the store, interested in purchasing a bracelet. They inquired about the quality of the bracelet and what was on special. As soon as the retail assistant was distracted in finding more information for the individual, the individual grabbed the bracelet and ran out of the store.
  • An individual entered a fashion store and purchased an item. The individual was very polite to the retail assistant initiating conversation. When leaving the store, the individual grabbed multiple items of clothing from the rack at the front and ran off with them.
Theft:
  • A middle aged/elderly man stole $500 worth of products from a fashion store. Security found him collapsed in the car park. He had suffered a heart attack. The theft was reported to the police. The police visited the store 2 months later asking the store manager to drop the charges.
  • A fashion store has experienced theft from the racks located at the entrance of the store. An individual was looking at the item and placed her bag strategically under the item, she then proceeded to drop the item into her bag before leaving.
  • Towels are commonly stolen from a homewares store. An example of this was reported. The individual waited until the retail assistant was busy serving other customers in the store, then ripped the tag off the towel and exited the store. The retail assistant thought she had seen something and this was confirmed when she found the tag to the towel in the pillow bin.
Footwear theft:
  • Reports of individuals leaving their old used shoes in boxes in a shoe store wearing the new ones out.
  • A footwear store has encountered multiple thefts by individuals stealing shoes out of the boxes. To cover their tracks, they are splitting pairs of shoes into the boxes, giving staff members the impression that the other shoe is in the display bin.
  • A shoes store has had an issue with a pair of offenders stealing shoes from the store. On multiple occasions, they have entered the store, one will distract the retail assistant whilst the other steals shoes.
  • Reports of individuals stealing shoes from the front of a footwear store. Grabbing 2 shoes, they think they have a pair, however the store only displays shoes for the right foot. The shoes are then often found in the bathroom or the individuals will try to return them stating that the assistant gave them two of the right foot. 
Attempted Theft:
  • Reports of an individual attempting to steal items using the change rooms. The retail assistant had been watching the individual closely and seen that she had picked up 3 items of clothing. The individual said she had 2 items to try on. When the retail assistant corrected, the individual suddenly didn’t have time to try the items on and left.
Group Offending:
  • Multiple fashion stores have ongoing issues with group offending from high school students. The retail assistant believes that the youth perceive it as a social norm for them to steal and some see it as a gang/group initiation.
Aggressive Behaviour
  • Reports of an intoxicated individual entering a fashion store, the individual was disruptive abusing the staff for no apparent reason. The police and centre security were called and the individual was removed however they returned a couple of weeks later. The staff were fearful when the individual entered the store again as they did not want a repeat of the last incident.
  • Reports of a retail assistant being threatened by a customer. The customer entered the store to exchange a pair of shoes that were the wrong size. As the store didn’t have the correct size the individual became very abusive toward the retail assistant. She suggested another branch nearby for him to pick the shoes up from however he didn’t want to "waste his petrol." He then threatened the retail assistant, stating that he was going to “get her fired.” The young, female retail assistant was very distressed about the incident. She was the only staff member in the store at the time.
  • A manager reported that one of her  retail assistants  quit on the spot, after experiencing  an aggressive and verbally abusive customer.
  • Reports of an incident where a retail assistant was abused because she declined to issue a refund for an item with a blood stain on it. The individual became very aggressive, swearing at her and calling her names. The individual continued to verbally abuse the retail assistant from the front of the store. The individual then slandered the retail assistant and the store on Facebook.
  • A local butcher had a visit from 2 vegan protesters who loudly protested  in his store against eating meat.Other customers in the store persuaded them to leave which they did.
General Feedback
  • We are continuing to hear about retailers on going frustration with the judicial system in regards to the penalties given for retail crime. The overwhelming feeling is that they are not severe enough to be a deterrent and are not viewed as a punishment by the criminals.
  • Well trained and proactive security guards are seen as an effective option but they are often not present for all opening hours so the criminals come when the security guards are off duty.
  • Items located close to the door are primary targets for opportunistic thieves- regardless of the size of the item.
  • Retailers are frustrated with the response and effectiveness of police. Many just do not see the point of reporting incidents as there is generally no benefit for them- just more time lost. Often many months have gone by before any follow up by police occurs.
  • Retailers do recognise that the Police lack resources to tackle the vast amount of retail that is occurring- particularly evident when Police are talking retail assistants out of pressing charges.
  •  Many centre managements encourage all incidents of theft or abuse to be reported to them as well as the police. This doubles the amount of reporting for time-poor retailers.
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The National Retail Association’s SafeCity Network brings together retailers, government and law enforcement to better inform and equip retailers to reduce retail crime.

By reducing crime over the long term, the program aims to attract more shoppers and visitors, and ultimately create a more vibrant, safer retail precincts.

Participants in the SafeCity Network gain access to regular crime alerts and bulletins based on real-world intelligence shared by other retailers.

Have queries? Contact the NRA Policy team: policy@nra.net.au.
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