Feature Interview: What's the best way to reduce shoplifting?

Shoplifting is as old as shops themselves, but the problem seems to be becoming more costly and more confrontational. Retail crime is estimated to cost $2.6 billion a year, and retailers are reporting rising levels of violence against staff and customers. Retail NZ is calling for stronger powers to deal with shoplifters while Parliament is advancing legislation that would introduce stronger trespass laws, higher penalties and new powers aimed at curbing retail crime. Dr. Read Hayes has spent more than two decades studying shoplifting. A criminologist at the University of Florida and Executive Director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, he leads a unique "living lab" where researchers observe how offenders think, what motivates them and which strategies actually reduce theft.