Overview
- Wesfarmers told its AGM it logged about 13,500 customer threats to staff over 12 months, including more than 1,000 physical assaults and several hundred threats of serious harm, often involving weapons.
- Threats of serious harm at Bunnings jumped 66 percent, while Kmart recorded a 29 percent rise in threatening incidents, according to chief executive Rob Scott.
- The company has increased security at high‑risk sites, rolled out de‑escalation training and deployed body‑worn cameras to protect workers.
- Retail peak bodies say one in three retail crimes occur in Victoria, where 79 percent of residents report concern about rising crime compared with 66 percent elsewhere.
- Coles, Woolworths and Bunnings executives joined lobby groups to push for tougher penalties and a dedicated retail crime taskforce, as the Victorian government points to previously announced protections with legislation described as imminent.