OUR RESEARCH
Explore our groundbreaking research initiatives, including the Australia and New Zealand Retail Crime Study conducted by Professor Michael Townsley in collaboration with the Profit Protection Future Forum. This comprehensive study offers invaluable insights into the current landscape of retail crime, trends, and emerging threats specific to the region. By participating in our research efforts, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the industry and help shape future strategies for loss prevention. Gain access to data-driven analysis, actionable recommendations, and evidence-based solutions to safeguard your business against retail crime. Join us in advancing knowledge and driving positive change in the field of loss prevention through our pioneering research endeavours.
2026 Retail Crime Study
The 2026 Retail Crime Study is a university-led research project conducted by the University of Western Australia. The research team is Professor Joe Clare from the University of Western Australia and Professor Michael Townsley from Griffith University. The study is funded by the Profit Protection Future Forum.
Purpose
The study will provide independent evidence about current retail crime issues, prevention challenges, reporting practices, and policy needs. It builds on earlier ANZ retail crime studies and supports PPFF’s continuing work to improve the evidence available to industry and government.
Scope
The study provides a comprehensive review of physical retail crime across Australia, New Zealand, and selected Asian markets. It is primarily concerned with crime that occurs in stores, including shop theft, shrinkage, violence and abuse, fraud-related loss, loss-prevention responses, reporting practices, and perceptions of law-enforcement support.
As a practical rule, this study covers issues connected to transactions completed in a physical store. Issues connected to transactions completed through e-commerce channels will be considered in the 2027 e-commerce study.
Evidence Sources
The study will triangulate data collected in several ways, including:
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an online survey
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one-on-one interviews
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aggregate or de-identified information provided by participating organisations
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official, police-recorded, or other administrative crime data where available
Who Can Participate
The study is seeking input from people with professional knowledge of retail crime, loss prevention, security, risk, operations, internal investigations, industry policy, enforcement, or retail crime data.
What Happens Next
Interested organisations should nominate a suitable contact or register interest through the expression-of-interest process. The research team will review registrations and follow up with the relevant participant information. Participation is voluntary.
Confidentiality And Reporting
The study is being conducted by university academics under formal ethics clearance and university research procedures. It will not seek identifying information about individual offenders, employees, customers, victims, or specific incidents. Information provided to the research team will be used for research purposes and stored in line with university research requirements. Findings will be reported in aggregate or de-identified form unless explicit permission is obtained.
Register Interest
To register interest or request more information, please complete the expression-of-interest by 17th July 2026 form: https://uwa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aYlECcSfO94zqpE
GU ethics reference number: HREC/2026/0540 and UWA Ref: 2026/ET000569.
2024 ANZ Retail Crime Study
The 2024 Australia and New Zealand Retail Crime Study marks the third comprehensive overview produced by the Profit Protection Future Forum, providing critical insights into the evolving ANZ retail crime landscape.
The inaugural study, published in 2019, established a foundational understanding of high-risk products, common offending methods, and sector-specific loss trends. The 2022 follow-up built on this groundwork, reflecting the significant disruptions and challenges of recent years.
The 2024 study continues this trajectory, examining the profound changes over the last two years that have shaped the retail crime landscape. From organised retail crime and opportunistic offenders to fraud and customer violence, the complexity and impact of retail crimes are escalating. These trends underscore the pressing need for innovative prevention strategies and responsive measures tailored to a rapidly changing environment.
The 2024 Australia & New Zealand Retail Crime Study is proudly supported by Checkpoint Systems, AXON, Gatekeeper Systems, Dahua Technology, Southern Cross Protection, Henderson, P4G Security, Spearpoint Security Group, and Workforce Resilience.
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Please email: info@profitprotection.co if you would like a copy of the 2024 ANZ Retail Crime Study.
Loss Prevention in a Time of Accelerated Change: How can Loss Prevention Future-Proof the Businesses they Protect?
The initial motivation for this white paper was to learn how Loss Prevention (LP) teams dealt with the pandemic related lockdown. However, through talking to LP managers it became evident that the observations are transferable beyond the context of COVID-19. Times of crisis reveal the essential characteristics of effective strategy and tactics in ways that “business as usual” conditions simply cannot.
The focus of this study was modified to consider the implications for LP in the context of a sector facing challenging circumstances and a rapid acceleration of prevailing trends.
The Australia and New Zealand Retail Crime Survey
The Australia and New Zealand Retail Crime Survey 2019, sponsored by the Profit Protection Future Forum and Checkpoint Systems was launched in July 2019. The Survey provided our members with regionally-relevant, contemporary data, on the issues that we know impacts on the bottom line both in traditional bricks and mortar stores and via online channels.
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We are indebted to our members for providing their information, data, knowledge and valuable insights. As a leading consortium on profit protection across Australia and New Zealand we take seriously our underlying objective to 'lose less, sell more'.
The 2022 Australia & New Zealand Retail Crime Study
The 2022 Australia and New Zealand Retail Crime Study is the second overview produced by the Profit Protection Future Forum into the ANZ retail crime landscape.
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The first study (published in 2019) provided needed regionally relevant intelligence into hot products, popular offending methods, and sector-level estimates of loss types.
This second study not only continues this focus and considers changes during the intervening period. As everyone is aware, the last four years have witnessed considerable and unpredictable changes. COVID-19 disruptions, staff shortages, strained supply chains, and greater online transaction volumes have all shaped the opportunity surface for the commission of criminal activity, be it organised retail crime groups or impulsive amateurs.
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The 2022 Australia & New Zealand Retail Crime Study is proudly supported by Checkpoint Systems, Datascan, Southern Cross Protection and P4G Security.
Discover the Triple T Model for Effective Loss Prevention
Unlock the potential of your retail operations with our two-page overview of the Triple T Model (Targeting, Testing, Tracking) for effective loss prevention.
This concise guide provides a deep dive into the evidence-based loss prevention framework. By leveraging data analytics and the Total Retail Loss (TRL) model, our document outlines how you can identify high-risk areas, implement effective interventions, and continuously monitor and adjust your strategies.
Learn how to shift from reactive measures to proactive prevention, optimize resource allocation, and make informed decisions backed by empirical evidence.
Perfect for retail managers, security professionals, and loss prevention teams, this guide is your key to reducing losses and enhancing profitability.