Opposition leader Brad Battin announced PSO strike teams will patrol high-risk shopping centres and precincts to protect shoppers and workers while sending a message to criminals, as part of the Liberals and Nationals retail crime crackdown.

An elected Brad Battin government will also:

• Introduce Workplace Protection Orders (WPOs) to ban abusive or violent offenders from shops and shopping centres or from contacting staff, following extensive consultation with the sector.
• Create new offences for assaulting, threatening or harassing customer-facing workers and bring the penalties in line with other states.
• Establish a dedicated digital platform where staff and employers can report abuse and crime, upload evidence and apply for WPOs directly through Victoria Police systems.

Mr Battin says Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan has been “soft on crime” leading to the state’s current crime crisis.

“Labor did nothing in over a decade to protect shoppers and retail workers,” he said.

“Our plan will deliver immediate protections, tougher penalties and faster justice to keep workers and shoppers safe.”

SCCA welcomes plan

The Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) has welcomed the announcement

“We strongly support the recognition by the Opposition of the challenges of violence and crime in shopping centres and other retail settings, and the Opposition’s proposed targeted measures,” said Angus Nardi, Chief Executive of the SCCA.

“Any measure that targets reducing violence and crime at shopping centres is strongly welcomed.”

“We have always strongly supported a well-resourced and visible Police presence at shopping centres to deter and respond to crime,” he said.

State of retail crime

Mr Battin says the state’s crime crisis has turned Victoria into the worst place to shop, with 99,114 offences recorded in retail-store settings in Victoria in the year to June, an increase of 20 per cent.

Retail thefts were up 26 per cent and retail assaults up 21 per cent, according to the Victoria Government’s Crime Statistics Agency’s data.

Machete crimes and gang violence have become all too common at shopping centres because of “Labor’s soft on crime approach”, says Mr Battin.

“It’s time for a fresh start with a Liberals and Nationals Government that takes retail crime seriously,” he said.