Thefts, assaults plague shops
Veteran WA retailer Jim Kidd says an "epidemic" of shoplifting and violent assaults in Perth shops is the worst he has seen in more than three decades.
In rare public comments, the publicity-shy Mr Kidd said the level of theft, abuse and assaults was "getting totally out of hand".
The trend was apparent across all Jim Kidd Sports' 12 stores, five of them in shopping centres, and he was only one of many retailers affected.
"What's happening is not just theft but the violence at a shop level is getting out of hand," Mr Kidd told _The Weekend West _.
"It's an epidemic and we're wondering what we can do. I've been in retail for 36 years and I have never seen it at this level."
Mr Kidd said he decided to speak out after recent incidents, including one when a security guard at a suburban shopping centre was seriously assaulted.
In another, an employee was assaulted by a person who tried to walk from a store with an armful of jackets. Police were called but the person was seen at the centre later that day.
Mr Kidd did not want to single out any area or shopping centre because the problem was not restricted to one location.
Jim Kidd Sports' stores are spread from Mandurah, Rockingham and Fremantle in the south to Clarkson in the north as well as in central Perth. The business has stand-alone stores and shops at Belmont Forum, Rockingham City, Carine Glades, Cockburn Gateway and Ocean Keys.
Mr Kidd said he was concerned about the safety of his staff.
There was a degree of frustration among store managers and employees that thieves and assailants were not taken off the streets and retailers had limited options beyond using security tags on clothing and security cameras to help police.
Mr Kidd said he had invested heavily in security, which included 20 high-resolution cameras in some stores.
"We've got no faith in what's happening and we can't take the law into our own hands," he said.
"We don't know what more we can do. Someone's got to take a stand. There's not one store that doesn't have a problem."
Mr Kidd said he did not know what was behind the rise in assaults and thefts but believed drugs and unemployment probably played a part.
Most Perth shopping centres contacted for comment did not respond before deadline or declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for Ocean Keys Shopping Centre, which has a Jim Kidd store but was not the site of the security guard assault, said, like all public places, incidents did occur from time to time.
"We are fortunate to have a strong relationship with the local Clarkson police, who work closely with our on-site security team," she said.
