Foodstuffs North Island has reported a twofold increase in retail crimes at its New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores within two years.

The number of incidents recorded at Foodstuffs’ 300+ stores climbed to 5124 in this year’s January-March quarter, up 56 per cent compared to last year’s February-April and up 116 per cent versus the February-April period in 2022.

The most common crime was theft, which accounted for 3651 offences, followed by 600 breaches of trespass notices and store bans.

There was also a concerning increase in offences involving violence and aggression, with assaults almost doubling to 60 and harassment cases doubling to 26 compared to the previous quarter.

Repeat offenders accounted for 33 per cent of all offences, consistent with the previous two quarters.

“The stats showing crime in our co-op’s stores has doubled within two years speak volumes. It mustn’t be allowed to continue,” said Chris Quin, CEO at Foodstuffs North Island.

“Dishonesty and aggression are sadly interrelated. We don’t want people who behave this way in our stores to put our customers and teams at risk. 

“Given the nature of what’s being stolen, our security teams believe a lot of what they’re seeing is people stealing to order or to on-sell,” added Quin.

To combat retail crime, the co-op previously launched a six-month trial of in-store facial recognition. The trial will determine if the technology’s ability to better identify repeat offenders can help keep its people and customers safe without compromising their privacy.