Police continue to focus on Victorian shopping centres

Representatives of retail businesses in Australia have praised the Victorian Government’s decision to extend Operation Pulse, an initiative to increase the visibility of police at shopping centres.

Since December, Operation Pulse has targeted eight shopping centres in Victoria, with police officers and protective service officers patrolling the premises. The operation has reportedly produced a 73 per cent reduction in retail theft stock loss and a 50 per cent reduction in serious violent events at participating centres.

“A 73 per cent reduction in stock loss and a 50 per cent drop in serious violent incidents are strong results."
Chris Rodwell, ARC

Victoria Police have made more than 450 arrests as part of the blitz, and Australian Retail Council CEO Chris Rodwell said it was pleasing to see authorities take the scourge of criminals targeting retail businesses seriously.

“Operation Pulse is proof that when police are properly resourced and highly visible in shopping centres, retail crime drops dramatically,” Rodwell said.

“A 73 per cent reduction in stock loss and a 50 per cent drop in serious violent incidents are strong results.

“Retail crime is a state-wide problem in Victoria. The scale and persistence of offending — the worst in the country — demands a permanent, state-wide retail crime taskforce with dedicated resources, similar to NSW’s Operation Percentile and South Australia’s Operation Measure.”

The Victorian Government is investing $6.5 million to extend operations until the end of the year, bringing the total budget to $9 million.