When it comes to catching criminals who threaten and injure retail workers and steal goods, it’s important for Crime Stoppers to work with retailers, police and the broader community to make a difference. Our partnership with Coles, as an industry leader, helps to strengthen efforts in preventing workplace violence across South Australia and ultimately provide a safer shopping environment for retail workers and customers.
Retail crime, such as shoplifting and robbery, costs Australian businesses up to $9 billion each year.
There are also plenty of examples where a thief threatens or assaults a retail worker as part of their criminal activity.
In 2022, the South Australian Government introduced a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for people convicted of basic assault against a retail worker on the job and seven years when the assault causes harm.
It’s a significant and serious problem, and police can’t catch those responsible on their own. They need people in the community to step up and share what they know. We understand that not everyone wants to speak direct to police, make a statement or go to court – and that’s where Crime Stoppers offers a solution, because we don’t need your name, just tell us what you know!
Below are images of suspected shoplifters and people accused of assaulting a retail worker who we need your help to identify.
We want you to look at the images of these suspects and anonymously tell us who they are by anonymously contacting Crime Stoppers online or by calling our freecall hotline on 1800 333 000.
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing alcohol valued at $322 from the Dan Murphy’s store at Pasadena on Monday, 19 August 2024.
REF: SAP2400213181
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing tools valued at $249 from Bunnings Warehouse at Marion on Tuesday, 20 August 2024.
REF: SAP2400214339
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing power tools to the value of $468 from Bunnings Warehouse at Kent Town on Monday, 19 August 2024.
REF: SAP2400214254
Do you know this pair? They are suspected of stealing Lego valued at $1,098 from the Big W store at Elizabeth on Sunday, 18 August 2024.
REF: SAP2400215105
This male is suspected of stealing a number of electrical items valued at $1,487.50 from the Woolworths store at Glenelg on Sunday, 14 July 2024.
REF: SAP2400181281
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing clothing valued at $1,752 from David Jones at Marion on Tuesday, 18 June 2024.
REF: SAP2400159632
Do you know this pair? They are suspected of stealing numerous hardware items to the value of $1,986 from the Bunnings store store at Seaford on Wednesday, 3 July 2024.
REF: SAP2400172222
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing various grocery items valued at $1,000 from Coles, St Clair on Wednesday, 17 July 2024.
REF: SAP2400210940
This male is suspected of stealing a wallet, containing Bunnings Power Pass Card which was used to buy power tools valued at $3,923 from Bunnings stores at Modbury, Windsor Gardens and Prospect on Tuesday, 18th June 2024.
REF: SAP2400163193
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing anti-smoking products valued at $1,265.82 from Chemist Warehouse at Adelaide on Wednesday, 26 June 2024.
REF: SAP2400165643
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing meat and chocolate to the value of $225.90 from the Coles store at Adelaide on Tuesday, 25 June 2024.
REF: SAP2400164968
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing alcohol to the value of $280 from the Dan Murphy’s store at Norwood on Monday, 1 July 2024.
REF: SAP2400170069
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing lighting hardware to the value of $480 from the Bunnings store at Kent Town on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.
REF: SAP2400114699
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing fresh produce to the value of $300 from the Coles store at Parkholme on Thursday, 16 May 2024
REF: SAP2400129740
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing tools to the value of $500 from the Bunnings store at Parafield on Tuesday, 25 May 2024.
REF: SAP2400137791
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing a vacuum cleaner to the value of $460 from the Bunnings store at Noarlunga on Tuesday, 11 June 2024.
REF: SAP2400152543
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing two electric toothbrushes to the value of $900 from the Myer store at Tea Tree Plaza on Friday, 10 May 2024.
REF: SAP2400124305
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing 2 x Tommy Hilfiger jumpers to the value of $570 from Myer at Marion on Thursday, 9 May 2024
REF: SAP2400123825
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing alcohol to the value of $545 from the Dan Murphys store at Noarlunga on Thursday, 16 May 2024.
REF: SAP2400128942
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing fishing reels to the value of $3,663 from the BCF store at Richmond on Saturday, 11 May 2024.
REF: SAP2400135566
Do you know these people? They are suspected of stealing over $1000 of groceries from Coles at Reynella on Sunday, 8 October 2023.
REF: SAP2300261080
Do you know this female? She is suspected of stealing meat valued at $300 from Coles at Parkholme on Monday, 29 January 2024.
REF: SAP2400035424
If you recognise any of these people you can anonymously share what you know at the Submit a Tip tab at the top of the page or call 1800 333 000.
PLEASE QUOTE REFERENCE NUMBER
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing $4,483 worth of cosmetics from Priceline at Greenacres on Monday, 29 January 2024.
REF: SAP2400035420
Do you know this male? He is suspected of stealing four handbags valued at $799.80 from Myer at Tea Tree Plaza on Friday, 12 January 2024.
REF: SAP2400012785
Do you know these people? They are suspected of stealing goods from the Coles store at West Lakes on Thursday, 5 October 2023.
REF: SAP2300247798
Do you know this person? They are suspected of stealing $1105 worth of goods from Coles at Greenacres on Tuesday, 17 October 2023.
REF: SAP2300260920
Do you know this person? They are suspected of stealing $178 worth of groceries from Coles on Tuesday, 5 September 2023 at Edwardstown.
REF: SAP2300221316
FAQ'S
Retail crime costs us all. Every single theft and robbery impacts on sustainability of a business and ultimately increases the cost of goods to consumers. For some smaller business who are already dealing with tight profit margins, losing stock to thieves may force them to close their doors, forever.
What’s even more sobering is that less than 20% of retail crimes are estimated to be reported to police – with nearly 13,000 shoplifting incidents reported in South Australia during a recent 12-month period.
To help tackle this growing theft epidemic, we’ve partnered with South Australia Police and industry leaders to crack down on shoplifting and catch those responsible. There has been a significant increase in shoplifting activity across South Australia with beauty products, alcohol and expensive meat some of the main targets because they are easily concealed, high-value and in-demand.
For a basic offence in South Australia the maximum penalty for theft is 10 years imprisonment.
For an aggravated offence (such as stealing from a child under 12 years or a person over 60 years) the maximum penalty is extended to 15 years imprisonment.
South Australia now has harsher penalties for people who assault retail workers, with punishments the same as those for assaulting a police officer or paramedic.
If someone is convicted of basic assault against a worker selling goods they face up to 5 years in prison, while someone convicted of assault causing harm could be imprisoned for up to 7 years.
- Use protective devices, such as security cameras and security labels or tags
- Encourage staff to watch customers for suspicious behaviour
- Have someone monitor display counters, particularly where there are small, expensive items
- Make sure merchandise is not left lying around
- Keeping areas well lit
- Close the cash register between every transaction and removing keys from showcases.
If you believe someone is leaving your business with stolen goods, then you have a right to conduct a bag search. The customer also has the right to refuse that request and they cannot be forced to agree, have physical force used against them or be unduly harassed into paying.
If they refuse to have their bag searched, you may:
- ask them to leave
- refuse to sell them any goods
- call for police assistance on 131 444 if you suspect they have been shoplifting.
When it comes to a shoplifter, a thief can be any race, gender, age or background — but generally they fall into two groups: amateurs and professionals. Amateur shoplifters usually steal on impulse, while professional shoplifters are more likely to work in pairs or groups, although there are still plenty who seem to work alone. They often steal to obtain a false refund for the items, have typically ‘cased out’ a store before stealing and target smaller, high-value and harder to trace items such as Lego, high-end cuts of meat and alcohol.
When looking for a shoplifter, consider the following red flags:
- Past offences – you may already be aware of specific individuals who have or have tried to steal from your store previously. Plenty of businesses now have images of known or suspected thieves in staff rooms so workers can keep an eye out.
- Atypical customers – while it’s certainly not an absolute sign of guilt, look out for people that don’t look like your ‘typical’ customer.
- Oversized clothing or big bags – someone wearing baggy clothes or carrying a big bag, such as a backpack, duffle bag, purse or grocery bag, is potentially a thief and they will use whatever means to conceal goods.
- Groups – there are plenty of thieves that work as a team, with someone distracting a worker while another member of the group steals goods. The distractor buys time by asking questions about how to find a specific item or whether something is in stock.
- Professionals – there are plenty of ‘professionals’ who spend all their time stealing, and they use more advanced tactics to take what isn’t theirs, such as carrying thin, sharp blades (like razor blades) to remove alarm tags in changing room or lining a bag with tin foil to prevent alarm tags from setting off the detectors at store exists.