Partnership aims to address retail crime across Australia
The National Retail Association (NRA) is joining with a global software company to reduce retail crime and improve the safety of retail workers across Australia.
The partnership with Auror aims to address and highlight the severity of retail crime across Australia.
"We both share a goal in supporting retailers to stop crime in their stores and create safer environments for the 1.6 million Australian frontline retail workers," said NRA interim CEO Lindsay Carroll in a statement.
Auror is a global software firm that provides retail crime reporting services to retailers and law enforcement. Australian retailers using the platform last year recorded a 66% increase in weapon use and a 30% spike in violence.
"Retailers and police are collaborating through Auror technology to surface the full scale of this problem, and dedicated police operations across the country can now address retail crime head-on," Carroll said.
"Police resources are stretched across the country; high-volume crime like retail crime adds to the load, but there are ways to increase efficiency and capability through tech-based solutions."
Goal of reducing retail crime
Nick McDonnell, Auror Senior Director of Trust and Safety, said their partnership with the NRA is crucial to advance their goal of reducing violent retail crime by 50% in the next five years.
"Retail crime is not victimless – it hurts everyday people and weakens our communities; it's a city killer," McDonnell said in a statement.
"There's no substitute for the hands-on, incredible work police do to keep us safe. Through technology-enabled collaboration, we can help police be more efficient, getting more officers back on the beat and focused on repeat and high-harm offenders."
In Australia, data from the NRA revealed that one in 10 retail crime events last year were violent. One in four of them also involved violence, intimidation, harassment, threats, or physical or verbal abuse.
The partnership comes as the NRA and the Australian Retailers Association have filed an application to the Fair Work Commission for a merger in a bid to create a "single, more influential voice for Australian retail."
