Police officers speak to a man they allege stole $600 worth of meat.
More than 100 people have been arrested by Shepparton police over the past nine months in response to a sharp spike in retail crime.
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Retail theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in Victoria, increasing by 37 per cent last year.
Shepparton is one of the hardest hit areas in the state for this offending — recording 480 retail theft offences in 2024 — an increase of 77 per cent.
The rise in stores being targeted comes as many grapple with cost-of-living pressures driven by inflation and high interest rates.
Following the local increase in shop theft and feedback from traders, Shepparton police commenced an orchestrated crackdown — Operation Mosaic — in July last year.
As part of this, police and plain-clothes loss prevention officers have regularly swarmed the Shepparton central business district on the lookout for people looking to steal items such as high-value meat products, cosmetics and confectionery.
On the weekend of April 12 and 13, 31 people were arrested as part of the ongoing police blitz.
These included a 42-year-old Shepparton man who allegedly stole about $600 of packaged meats from multiple stores.
He was charged with shop theft and bailed to appear at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in August.
Two adults and three youths, aged 17, 14 and 13, from Shepparton were arrested at a Kialla shopping centre following alleged shop theft and criminal damage to a local business.
When arrested by police, one adult and one child were found to be in possession of knives, which were seized by police.
They will appear at court at a later date.
Police arresting a person during Operation Mosaic.
Other people arrested as part of Operation Mosaic include people who allegedly stole items including an electric fireplace, copper piping, an LED light kit and power tools.
Shepparton police Senior Constable Mitchell Bull said cost-of-living pressures had undoubtedly contributed to a sharp rise in shop thefts across the state.
“Unfortunately, Shepparton is not immune, with local hardware stores, supermarkets, liquor stores and other small community businesses targeted,” he said.
“Once this trend became apparent, local police listened to our community, acted quickly and commenced a targeted crackdown.
“This had led to the arrest of more than 100 local shop thieves as part of Operation Mosaic — equating to almost three every single week.”
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