New crime data from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency show that 96,008 offences were recorded at retail locations in the 12 months to June 2026, with the Australian Retail Council calling for immediate action.
The total amount of retail-based offences is equivalent to one offence every five-and-a-half minutes, and is the second-highest total in the 10-year series.
The figures include a record 37,398 steal-from-a-retail-store offences, equivalent to 102 every day (up 2.3 per cent), and 5,120 assault offences, or 14 every day.
Of the 263 offences each day at Victorian retail locations, 102 were thefts from retail stores. That compares with almost 90 retail theft incidents a day in NSW, despite Victoria having around 1.5 million fewer people.
The 96,008 total offences recorded in a retail setting is slightly down from the record 99,000 reported in the prior year to June 2025. However, this is still quite elevated from the 78,000 recorded incidences in the year to June 2019. This relative elevation is also noted in subcategories, including shoplifting and assault.
ARC CEO Chris Rodwell said the record number of thefts from stores is deeply concerning.
“Retail theft is not a victimless crime. It drives up costs, puts workers and customers at risk and ultimately the whole community pays,” Rodwell said.
Overall offences at retail locations fell 3.0 per cent year on year. Assault offences declined 6.1 per cent, while stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour offences fell 6.8 per cent.
Rodwell said the marginal fall in overall offending could not disguise the scale of Victoria’s retail crime crisis.
“Any reduction in violence is welcome, but 14 assaults every day at retail locations is still completely unacceptable, especially given the vulnerability of women and young people working in retail,” Rodwell said.
“Retailers and their workers still confront an extraordinary level of crime and deeply traumatic incidents daily. There's a significant way to go in getting this crisis is under control.”
Rodwell’s comments come after the Victorian Government passed its workplace protection order legislation earlier this month, which allows shops and venues to bar perpetrators from entering their spaces through court orders. But the ARC took issue with the scheme, including that the scheme will not come into effect until March 2027 and blasted the fact that urgent interim orders were not included.
Rodwell said this made a permanent, visible police response even more urgent as retailers and their workers head into the peak trading season.
“Victoria needs a permanent, dedicated statewide retail-crime taskforce that builds on the success of Operation Pulse and targets the repeat offenders causing the greatest harm,” he said. Operation Pulse is a targeted Victorian Police operation, with police presence being highly visible across key locations, including several popular shopping malls. Operation Pulse has been extended until the end of 2027.
Rodwell said making this permanent would send an unmistakable message that Victoria will no longer tolerate retail workers being threatened, intimidated or attacked simply for doing their jobs.
“Retailers need confidence that Victoria is a safe place to employ people, serve customers, invest and do business,” Rodwell said. “Restoring that confidence must be a priority for whoever forms government after the election.”
The Victorian Crime Statistics Agency data also showed the total number and value of items that have been stolen across all locations (not just in retail).
There were 11,582 clothing items stolen in the year to June 2026, with a total valuation of $6.8 million. This is down from a peak of 14,850 in the year to June 2025.
The average value per clothing item stolen is around $597.
Jewellery theft is dramatically down on prior years, with just 6,590 jewellery items stolen in the year to June 2026. Nearly 10 years ago, 45,601 items were stolen in the year to June 2017.
Despite the stark drop, the total value of the 6,590 jewellery items stolen in the recent year to June 2026 was $29.9 million, with an average value per item of $4,542. The average value has steadily increased since 2017, when it was $1,253.
Overall, 262,411 items were stolen across all categories, including TVs, firearms, household furniture and sporting goods in the year to June 2026. This is down from 314,134 items stolen in the year to June 2025.