Reported shoplifting offences more than doubled in 2022-23 in Mid West-Gascoyne, according to WA Police data

Reports of shoplifting have more than doubled this year across the Mid West-Gascoyne, with police claiming the rise in reporting is partly due to a positive result in their efforts to curb retail theft. The latest WA Police statistics have revealed a 130 per cent rise in reported shoplifting across the police district in 2022-23. Police recorded 804 shoplifting offences in the Mid West-Gascoyne in 2022-23, compared with 349 reported in the previous financial year, a massive jump of 130 per cent. Burglary reports have dropped 11.5 per cent across the Mid West-Gascoyne over the same period, while stealing motor vehicles have remained stagnant. Geraldton police officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Chris Martin said advances in police technology have allowed for a decrease in burglaries and stealing of vehicles over the past 30 years, but admitted shoplifting was rising. “While we’re using a lot of that modern technology to investigate, the most basic things like stealing from retail premises . . . it gives me no pleasure to say that it has risen in Geraldton,” he said. “In some cases people are desperate, some people are people are struggling to put food on the table at times, but we think a lot of it’s still used to fuel other more serious criminal offending, the purchase of control drugs etc.” Sen. Sgt Martin said he hoped to see shoplifting offences “significantly” drop over the next 12 months, attributing the high rate of reported offences to the collaboration between police, retailers and loss prevention officers. Geraldton police confirmed the shoplifting sanction rate for the 2022-23 financial year was 81 per cent. District engagement support unit officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Russell Hurst, who has conducted operations with retailers, said by simplifying the reporting process, retailers were reporting more incidents, which allowed police to put more offenders before the courts. Meanwhile, loss prevention officers were helping to catch offenders who would otherwise get away unpunished. “Those one-offs where kids go and steal a chocolate bar or someone walks in and steals a can of tuna — those things that wouldn’t normally get recorded are now getting recorded,” he said. “As much as the increase may appear to be alarming, it’s actually quite positive for us because we know that the community has the confidence in the police to report matters knowing there’ll be an outcome.” MID WEST-GASCOYNE 2022-23 CRIME RATES Police assaults (up 58 per cent) Family violence assaults (serious and common) (up 28 per cent) Serious assault non-family (up 31 per cent) Common assault non-family (up 14 per cent) Sexual offences recent and historical (up 17 per cent) Property damage (up 22 per cent) Arson (down 6 per cent) Robbery (up 2 per cent) Burglary (down 11.5 per cent) Steal a motor vehicle (up 3 per cent) Steal from motor vehicle (up 1 per cent) Steal from retail premises (up 130 per cent) Source: WA Police