Mid West-Gascoyne police statistics reveal shoplifting rise, Rigters IGA claim adults are the new culprits

Shoplifting has more than doubled in the same time this year compared with last, with a local supermarket manager admitting he’s seeing a rise in shoplifting in adults. According to WA Police crime statistics, in the first quarter of 2022 there were 105 shoplifting offences in the Mid West-Gascoyne district compared with 234 in Jan-March 2023. That is a rise of more than 123 per cent. In February, Rigters IGA imposed bans restricting entry to juveniles without an adult after 6pm in their supermarkets to reduce the worsening trend of petty theft and threats to staff. Refusing entry is a decision made at the store manager’s discretion. The managers also suggested a local retailers forum where police and local government were present, which have since come to fruition. Geraldton police have implemented new schemes and operations since the beginning of the year to address the issue, including a chat forum designed to encourage retailers to inform the group of potential thieves. General manager Kyme Rigter said the increase could be a result of the proactivity of local police, and the initiatives pushing retailers to report incidents of shoplifting. “We’ve now got a direct link to to some of the local officers and they’ve implemented new and easier reporting systems for retailers, so that may have lifted the number incidents as they are being reported now.” Mr Rigter said since the entry restrictions and chat forum, the supermarket group had seen a decrease in juvenile offending, however, shoplifting in adults was becoming more common. “A lot of retailers felt like they were dealing with these issues on their own,” he said. “It’s a bit more broader of an issue so if we come together then we can slowly, but surely work towards achieving results.” Mr Rigter said retailers wanted to see more being done to teach offenders a lesson and really get them thinking about their actions. “The biggest frustration in the group and the community now is we’re seeing repeat offenders blatantly get away with stuff time and time again,” he said. Mr Rigter said one female, known by retailers as a prolific offender, was facing court for about 16 stealing charges, but received bail last week and continued stealing from multiple sites the next day. “She’s a pretty regular star on the networking page,” he said. Mr Rigter said he wanted to see tougher penalties in place for offenders as fines and other current penalties weren’t working to deter criminals from repeating their actions. “I understand it’s Statewide and every town has their problems, some more than others, but it is pretty sad to see it happening here where you’re living,” he said.