Woolworths invests $45m in crime prevention after increase in assaults and theft

Tuesday, 22 August 2023

Woolworths is investing $45m over three years to increase its crime prevention measures.

Woolworths will invest $45 million in crime prevention after a 303% increase in physical assaults at stores in the past six years.

Its supermarkets, which are known as Countdown but are in the process of rebranding to Woolworths, will use the $45m over the next three years to add further security measures to its stores and train staff dealing with conflict situations.

In the past six years, Woolworths New Zealand had recorded a reported 303% increase in physical assaults, a 806% rise in security incidents and a 326% increase in theft incidents.

A Dunedin Countdown became the scene of an unprovoked stabbing frenzy in May 2021, injuring four.

Just months later Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen seriously injured four women and a man, when he stabbed them in Countdown New Lynn, using a knife from a kitchenware display near the checkouts.

It comes as one of the country's largest supermarket chains says its stores have experienced a big increase in crime.

Woolworths New Zealand Managing Director, Spencer Sonn said keeping customers and staff safe was a priority.

“The behaviour our team and customers see and experience every day in our stores is simply not good enough, and we won’t tolerate it. We’re stepping up our security and safety measures across our network.”

The new safety measures included adding trolley locks systems, which stop walk-outs, n ew camera technology at self-checkouts to stop theft, double entry gates and having staff using push talk radios.

The behaviour experienced in supermarkets is ‘not good enough’, the company says.

Some of these initiatives had already been implemented at a few stores and would continue to roll out as Countdown rebrands to Woolworths in 2024.

“We've been working to introduce a number of new initiatives in our stores, and New Zealanders can expect to see further changes in their local area in the coming months and years,” Sonn said.

“We also know our strong relationships with both local and national police, community groups and other retailers are critical - and we’re continuing to further build these.”

Foodstuffs, which owns Pak’nSave and New World supermarkets, had also seen a rise in crime.

North Island operators of New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores reported a 40% increase in retail crime throughout February to April, with almost 1000 more incidents than the same period a year earlier.