In May, the SDA attended the SA Government’s Retail Crime Roundtable, calling for more action to drive down retail crime and abuse.
This Roundtable was called for by the SDA following rising levels of shoplifting and abuse.
It brought together representatives from the Government, retailers, SafeWork SA and the SDA.
SDA Members, Peter, Laura and Joshua all attended to share their first-hand experiences and share valuable insights.
Over the last three years, we have seen a dramatic increase in shop theft in South Australia, rising by 102% in this period.
This increase is putting retail workers at a higher risk of danger and violence in their workplaces.
In February, a worker at Rebel Sport was assaulted by a customer and rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Retail workers do not deserve to go to work each day and worry if they’re going to be abused or assaulted.
In order to fix these issues, collaboration across the retail industry is vital – and that’s exactly what we called for.
As part of our recommendations at this Roundtable, we called for an ongoing committee to be established to ensure this remains a focus for all groups.
The State Government has listened to these concerns and announced that a Retail Crime Taskforce will be established to make recommendations to the Government.
Our achievements in preventing and deterring customer abuse so far haven’t occurred in isolation.
They have been achieved by bringing union members, employers and governments together to discuss, consult and reach solutions.
It’s pleasing to see the Government take practical action on SDA members’ concerns and ensure more is done to keep you safe.
What the SDA is calling for
At the Retail Crime Roundtable, we called for strong action to keep workers safe including:
- Stronger banning rules for repeat offenders who shoplift and abuse workers
- An update to our shoplifting laws
- A review of the physical design and layout of shops and the best practice
- More police and security presences in shopping centres