And that’s not the only good news…
There’s positive news coming from Australia this week after Victoria Police revealed it has made over 1,000 arrests during a major operation across Melbourne’s biggest shopping centres.
Operation Pulse has seen teams of police and Protective Service Officers (PSOs) patrolling four major metropolitan shopping centres each day since early December.
The results highlight the operation’s growing success, with police confirming they have now laid more than 2,000 charges over the past four months.
Almost half of the charges laid to date are for retail theft, while police and PSOs have also made over 350 drug and weapon seizures.
Commenting, Superintendent Matt Baynes said: “Police and PSOs have been identifying and arresting shop thieves in enormous numbers as part of Operation Pulse, ensuring hard working retailers are better protected.”
“While it’s more difficult to quantify, the presence of police and PSOs is also undoubtedly preventing significant offending – whether it be breaking up planned fights or putting doubt into the minds of opportunistic thieves.”
“As a result, retailers and shoppers are approaching us regularly to say they feel safer since the operation commenced.”
The news comes amid reports that Victoria Police has also dismantled a $10 Million organised retail theft syndicate.
The alleged ring, of which 31 people have now been arrested, are accused of looting major supermarkets to fuel a lucrative black-market trade.
The professional network allegedly then funnelled stolen goods to “receivers” for profit.
Data released by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) in September 2025 revealed that theft from retail stores in Victoria rose by 27.6% in the 2024/25 financial year.
Taken together, this week’s developments suggest the state may be starting to turn a corner in its fight against retail crime, much to the relief of retailers and consumers.
Retail Risk – Melbourne is taking place on 13th August 2026, bringing together Australia’s top retailers, loss prevention experts and law enforcement to tackle the issue of retail crime.