Reports of retail thefts surged in the first five months of this year as Police Minister Mark Mitchell says he's now watching for the "early signs" of a turnaround.
Between January and May there were more than 52,000 retail thefts and burglaries, up 18% compared to the same five-month period in 2023, which saw 44,500 reports.
1News has spoken to business owners targeted amid high retail crime.
Yue Zhang is the owner of Moona Store, a Korean cosmetic store based in Auckland.
She told 1News that in addition to shoplifting, she has suffered break-ins, vandalism and racism, saying "things like that happen all the time".
This year, her business has spent $10,000 on security systems, but it hasn't made much difference, leaving Zhang at wit's end at the situation.
"We've reported it to the police. We've got security around. It doesn't change anything at all," she said. "I really feel hopeless, to be honest."
Police Minister Mark Michell agreed the situation was grim.
The Government ran on restoring law and order at last year's election and the minister told 1News it was a "big job" to turn around the statistics.
Mitchell said: "We've got the worst retail crime and violence that we've ever seen as a country. It's a big job to turn that around. The good news is we're starting to see early signs that we are."
Meanwhile, Labour Party police spokesperson and former police minister Ginny Anderson said the level of retail crime the country is seeing is "unacceptable".
"It's unacceptable the level of retail crime we're seeing now, and it's a real concern that we're seeing cuts to police, with nearly 250 jobs going from police this week."
Retailers able to alert authorities to crimes faster
However, the ability for businesses to report crime has improved in recent years, with the reported number of thefts also affected by the speed and rate at which retailers are alerting authorities. One technology provider, Auror, has been part of the shift.
The company's chief executive Phil Thomson said the change was often speed for retailers, with footage of thefts able to be swiftly shared through apps with the police.
"The retailer is reporting that crime to police like they've always done — they just do it ten times faster," he said.
While other crimes, like petrol drive-offs, can be prevented, Thomson said.
"When a vehicle does arrive at a petrol station, we are the software that says that vehicle has been involved in a previous incident, so they can put the pumps on prepay."
SHARE ME