- A new study reveals Australian cities are experiencing a sharp rise in retail crime, with Melbourne recording a staggering year-on-year increase of more than 82%.
- The leading state capitals for retail crime are Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.
A new report reveals Australia’s major cities are experiencing alarming annual spikes in retail crime incidents, according to three years of police reports.
The study by leading critical event management and resilience software provider, Noggin, a Motorola Solutions company, analyses and compares annual police data across the country to uncover a shocking glimpse into Australia’s retail crime crisis. The report reveals that Melbourne is seeing the steepest crime jump, an alarming 81.6% increase in just 12 months, making the city the new retail crime capital of Australia. The increase has been attributed to the recent tobacco wars and related shoplifting instances reported in the area.
Perth, which had previously held the title, is now the only state capital seeing a decline in retail crime incidents, a decrease of 25% in 12 months, coinciding with the city’s new shoplifting laws.
Sr. Vice President MSSSI, Enterprise Resilience & Security Sales, Jeremy Smith, suggests that several contributing factors, including rising living costs, post-pandemic footfall recovery, and overstretched local resources, could play a role. He said, “This surge in retail crime presents a growing challenge that not only impacts retailers and staff but erodes consumer confidence, compromising long-term economic stability.
“Sharp rises across the country demonstrate that what may have formerly been isolated spikes are now turning into broader national trends. The findings, therefore, highlight an urgent need for more coordinated prevention strategies and more sustained investment in safety and security technologies tailored to the changing retail landscape.”
Australia experiences an unprecedented increase in retail crime
Although the analysis of recent annual police reports underscores significant shifts in retail crime patterns across Australia’s major cities, it is Melbourne that is experiencing the steepest rise, with incidents soaring from 1,702 in 2023 to 3,091 in 2024.
After Melbourne, Adelaide experienced a 53.2% increase in retail crime, jumping from 1,154 to 1,768 offences in 12 months, despite the city’s war on retail crime. Although Adelaide is seeing the second largest annual increase, it is ranked fourth worst state capital for retail crime, behind Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.
In second place behind Melbourne for most crime overall, Sydney reported a modest year-on-year increase of 5.4%, 2,672 to 2,816 cases. However, the small increase suggests that the scale of the issue may be slowly ebbing for the capital of NSW. The region’s prison population, on the other hand, is reported to be at a five-year high, according to ABS data*.
Recently number one for most reported crime in Australia, Perth saw a dramatic decline in retail crime, from 3,166 to 2,363 incidents in the most recent police report.
Regional LGAs experiencing a shocking 12-month retail crime increase
Although most of Australia’s capital cities continue to grapple with rising retail crime, the most dramatic year-on-year increases come from regional Local Government Areas (LGAs). These smaller communities are facing disproportionately large surges. Although unsurprisingly, the top 10 LGAs experiencing crime increases are all in Victoria and New South Wales, homes to Australia’s leading state capitals for retail crime.
Topping the list of crime-affected LGAs is NSW’s Cobar, where retail crime has surged by a staggering 610.8% in just 12 months. Close behind is NSW’s Brewarrina, recording a similarly shocking rise of 601.5%. Victoria’s Mansfield follows with a 489.5% increase, and NSW’s Kiama has seen a 379.8% jump in reported retail thefts.
Other LGAs with significant spikes include Golden Plains (293.6%), Cabonne (249.6%), and Surf Coast (229.5%).
All told, these figures suggest that retail crime is no longer confined to urban centres, with rural and regional areas increasingly feeling the pressure. The dramatic rises may reflect both resourcing challenges and shifting criminal activity into areas traditionally seen as lower risk.
