Overall theft in South Australia is down by 10 per cent in the current rolling year compared to the prior corresponding period, according to newly released data from SA Police.
The Australian Retailers Association and the National Retail Association (NRA) have welcomed the positive results, which also show that retail theft is down 8 per cent – the fifth consecutive drop in rolling yearly data.
In the rolling year to March 2025, there were 51,803 recorded incidences of theft overall, including car theft and stealing from stores.
Of the five categories under overall theft, not including aggravated robbery, shop theft holds the highest proportion, with 17,272 recorded incidents in the 12 months to March. This is down from 18,783 in the prior rolling year.
In the month of March, there were 1,468 recorded incidences of store theft, up slightly from 1,442 in February, but down from January's numbers, which were 1,551 – the highest month recording in the last year.
ARA CEO Chris Rodwell said the statistics are encouraging for retailers who have been facing devastating, dangerous and costly incidents of retail theft and other crime.
“The South Australian Government has consistently led the country with its response program to retail crime, and we are now seeing sustained results from these actions,” Rodwell said. “We have also seen strong progress in New South Wales due to their changes to retail crime legislation.
“Recent figures reveal more than 100 people have been charged under NSW’s tougher laws to help protect retail workers, including many repeat offenders.”
According to South Australian Premier Stephen Mullighan, these results demonstrate the success of the state’s expanded Operation Measure, an anti-shoplifting initiative which targets recidivist offenders and monitors specific locations.
The data also reveals theft from a motor vehicle decreased by 23 per cent while car theft also fell.
House break-ins have dropped for the ninth successive period, robbery and related offences decreased by 13 per cent, while serious criminal trespass is also down.
For eight successive months since August last year, the total number of reported offences has continued to decrease, with five per cent fewer crimes reported.
According to Mullighan, the State Government has committed an additional $334 million to support SA Police since he came into government in 2022. This includes $82 million dollars to hire an additional 189 Police Security Officers, to return sworn officers to frontline duties.
“This allows initiatives like Operation Measure to expand their presence and deliver results,” Mullighan said.
“By boosting the number of frontline officers, SA Police can direct resources where they’re needed most to keep the community safe.”
Crime reporting platform Auror suggested that there were around 700,000 incidences of retail crime in the last year, with more than half involving an assault or weapon.
Retail crime conservatively equates to an estimated $9 billion of losses for retail businesses.
“Retail crime is a scourge on our community and business wellbeing, and unfortunately, it is not going away on its own,” Rodwell said.
“We are keen to see leadership from the Federal Government to address this issue from a national perspective and call on governments in Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT to move forward with their own legislation in his area.”