May 27, 2025 • 5 mins
The Police Minister is attempting to clarify the meaning of a memo to staff on lower-value retail crime cases.
The nation-wide directive told staff not to investigate shoplifting worth less than $500 dollars - and less significant petrol, online and retail theft.
Mark Mitchell says that's not explicitly what the memo intended.
He's promised police will respond to crime, and says the directive should have been worded better.
"And it could have been much clearer in the way it was written - it did create some confusion, I totally understand and get that."
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Police and the government are in damage control today over
the revelation that police will not investigate shoplifting incidents under
five hundred dollars. Now we've learned about this because of
a memo which was sent to police staff telling them
to file shoplifting incidents under five hundred dollars, gas theft
of less than one hundred and fifty dollars in online
scams of less than one thousand dollars. Mark Mitchell is
the policeman as to high Mitch, Hi Heather is the
(00:22):
memo right, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It could have been more helpful. That could have been clearer.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Obviously, it was a memo and the police have lots
of these memos circulating around. It was released under OIA,
and it.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Could have been much clearer.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
The way that was written it did create some confusion.
Totally understand that and get that. And that's why both
myself and the Commission have been out today. You clarifying it.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Is it right though, Mitch? If there is a shoplifting
incident of less than five hundred dollars the police, it
will get filed. It will just get filed. The police
will not necessarily investigate.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Oh no, it's not right. There shouldn't be thresholds. I
think the Commissioner has been very clear on that.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But are there thresholds.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
No, there's not.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
So there's no thresholds, okay, because we had we had
a police officer on yesterday who confirmed that the memo
was correct. So what's happened overnight.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Look, the reality of it is police have always triaged,
They've always had to prioritize. When I was of the
job thirty years ago, it was no different and it
still happens today. But the reality of it is that
every crime, in every incident has taken on its own merits,
and whether the police will respond, they will respond, whether
it be immediately or whether it be with some follow up.
(01:36):
So you know, they do have tools to try and
to be able to allocate, to be able to prioritize.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
That is important.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
If you've got an offender for multiple offenses, obviously they're
going to go after that.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
They'll prioritize that. But no, there's no thresholds.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And I think the Commissioner's come out today and he's
been very clear and he said that a priority for
him and for this governor's retail crime. They've done some
great work around the violent retail crime across all the stakeholders.
They can't do it by themselves. I'm really proud of
the work they're doing, and so that in the simple
answer is no. Any if there's a ship shoplifter or
(02:10):
if retailer's got someone there they need police support, then
you know the police will get there.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Okay, are you telling me that if a retailer calls
in a shoplifting incident the police will always come and investigate.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
They won't always get there to that shoplifting incident. And
I think back when I was in the job and.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
The gentlemen which ones they're going to and which ones
they don't.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
They have to prioritize.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
So when I was a police dog handler, if I
was tracking three offenders from an aggravated robbery and at
the same time I got a call for a shoplifter,
then I have to carry on. I'm going to prioritize
and go for the three egg robbers, right. Yes, If
I'm not doing that job and the call comes in
for the shoplifter, I'll go to the shoplifter. I'll go
and attend it. And it's no different today. Police they
have there are limited numbers. We don't have a you
(02:57):
know that there's we've got limited resources. They have to prioritize.
They'll always prioritize human life, public safety. But if they
if they're free and they can get to a shoplifter,
they'll go to it.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
If there is a shoplifting of the value of fifty bucks,
the police and they've got free time, they'll go to it.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yes, they will.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Okay. It just then explains to me why did the
memo say five hundred dollars.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I think it was a tool that they were that
they're trying to use it.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
This is operational, so I shouldn't really be speaking to
It's more for the commissioner. However, I think that they
are probably triaging the information that they do have to
try and prioritize as they work through historic offenses and
trying to clear them.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
But what do you No one's calling in historic offenses,
They're calling in offenses that have just happened.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
No, they'll attend to those, and the Commission has been
very clear about that as well. And as the incoming
government's got a heavy focus on public safety, are we
expectation is that police will treat all crime equally, and they.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Will in that they tend.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So are you saying that the only that that memo
is referring to stuff that happened donkeys years ago, not
stuff that's happening right now. So you file away your
five hundred dollars shoplifting things and just put them in
the In the part.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I'm not saying that I can't talk to the memo.
It is operational and that is that is more for
the Commissioner to speak to. From my side of it,
as the police bister, I just wanted to give complete
assurance and sort reassurance from the Commissioner that police will
attend will attend these jobs, and they will.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I'm confused because Blair McDonald, the police officer, was on
the show yesterday going, yeah, the memo's right, and then
you're telling me today the memo's wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Well, I'm saying that it could have been worded.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
It could have been worded better, it could have been clearer,
and that's that.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And that's for that wording then, because all we've got
is the wrong wording. So what's the right wording?
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, I think that I think that what they were
trying to do is they're trying to use a tool
to be able to triarche historic cases that are now
it files to try and work through those, and they're
going to they want to prioritize Withe. They've got some
hard evidence and that's nothing's changed that was. It was
like this back in my day. Like I said, it
always happened. But I think we're the confusion was created.
(05:01):
Is that Does this mean now the police officer is
not going to attend a shoplifting incident and that's not
the case.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
The Commissioner's come out, he's been very clear that they will.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I've come out as the Police Minister and said the
expectation from this government and it is contained in my
leader of expectation to the Commissioner is that they will
attend these incidents and look and they do every single day.
Police do tens of thousands of positive interactions and responses
to the public every day and they're going to continue
to do that.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Mitch.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Thank you very much, Mark Mitchell, Police Minister.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
For more from hither Duplassy Allen Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Police and the government are in damage control today over
the revelation that police will not investigate shoplifting incidents under
five hundred dollars. Now we've learned about this because of
a memo which was sent to police staff telling them
to file shoplifting incidents under five hundred dollars, gas theft
of less than one hundred and fifty dollars in online
scams of less than one thousand dollars. Mark Mitchell is
the policeman as to high Mitch, Hi Heather is the
(00:22):
memo right, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It could have been more helpful. That could have been clearer.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Obviously, it was a memo and the police have lots
of these memos circulating around. It was released under OIA,
and it.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Could have been much clearer.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
The way that was written it did create some confusion.
Totally understand that and get that. And that's why both
myself and the Commission have been out today. You clarifying it.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Is it right though, Mitch? If there is a shoplifting
incident of less than five hundred dollars the police, it
will get filed. It will just get filed. The police
will not necessarily investigate.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Oh no, it's not right. There shouldn't be thresholds. I
think the Commissioner has been very clear on that.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But are there thresholds.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
No, there's not.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
So there's no thresholds, okay, because we had we had
a police officer on yesterday who confirmed that the memo
was correct. So what's happened overnight.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Look, the reality of it is police have always triaged,
They've always had to prioritize. When I was of the
job thirty years ago, it was no different and it
still happens today. But the reality of it is that
every crime, in every incident has taken on its own merits,
and whether the police will respond, they will respond, whether
it be immediately or whether it be with some follow up.
(01:36):
So you know, they do have tools to try and
to be able to allocate, to be able to prioritize.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
That is important.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
If you've got an offender for multiple offenses, obviously they're
going to go after that.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
They'll prioritize that. But no, there's no thresholds.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And I think the Commissioner's come out today and he's
been very clear and he said that a priority for
him and for this governor's retail crime. They've done some
great work around the violent retail crime across all the stakeholders.
They can't do it by themselves. I'm really proud of
the work they're doing, and so that in the simple
answer is no. Any if there's a ship shoplifter or
(02:10):
if retailer's got someone there they need police support, then
you know the police will get there.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Okay, are you telling me that if a retailer calls
in a shoplifting incident the police will always come and investigate.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
They won't always get there to that shoplifting incident. And
I think back when I was in the job and.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
The gentlemen which ones they're going to and which ones
they don't.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
They have to prioritize.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
So when I was a police dog handler, if I
was tracking three offenders from an aggravated robbery and at
the same time I got a call for a shoplifter,
then I have to carry on. I'm going to prioritize
and go for the three egg robbers, right. Yes, If
I'm not doing that job and the call comes in
for the shoplifter, I'll go to the shoplifter. I'll go
and attend it. And it's no different today. Police they
have there are limited numbers. We don't have a you
(02:57):
know that there's we've got limited resources. They have to prioritize.
They'll always prioritize human life, public safety. But if they
if they're free and they can get to a shoplifter,
they'll go to it.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
If there is a shoplifting of the value of fifty bucks,
the police and they've got free time, they'll go to it.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yes, they will.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Okay. It just then explains to me why did the
memo say five hundred dollars.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I think it was a tool that they were that
they're trying to use it.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
This is operational, so I shouldn't really be speaking to
It's more for the commissioner. However, I think that they
are probably triaging the information that they do have to
try and prioritize as they work through historic offenses and
trying to clear them.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
But what do you No one's calling in historic offenses,
They're calling in offenses that have just happened.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
No, they'll attend to those, and the Commission has been
very clear about that as well. And as the incoming
government's got a heavy focus on public safety, are we
expectation is that police will treat all crime equally, and they.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Will in that they tend.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So are you saying that the only that that memo
is referring to stuff that happened donkeys years ago, not
stuff that's happening right now. So you file away your
five hundred dollars shoplifting things and just put them in
the In the part.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I'm not saying that I can't talk to the memo.
It is operational and that is that is more for
the Commissioner to speak to. From my side of it,
as the police bister, I just wanted to give complete
assurance and sort reassurance from the Commissioner that police will
attend will attend these jobs, and they will.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I'm confused because Blair McDonald, the police officer, was on
the show yesterday going, yeah, the memo's right, and then
you're telling me today the memo's wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Well, I'm saying that it could have been worded.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
It could have been worded better, it could have been clearer,
and that's that.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And that's for that wording then, because all we've got
is the wrong wording. So what's the right wording?
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, I think that I think that what they were
trying to do is they're trying to use a tool
to be able to triarche historic cases that are now
it files to try and work through those, and they're
going to they want to prioritize Withe. They've got some
hard evidence and that's nothing's changed that was. It was
like this back in my day. Like I said, it
always happened. But I think we're the confusion was created.
(05:01):
Is that Does this mean now the police officer is
not going to attend a shoplifting incident and that's not
the case.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
The Commissioner's come out, he's been very clear that they will.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I've come out as the Police Minister and said the
expectation from this government and it is contained in my
leader of expectation to the Commissioner is that they will
attend these incidents and look and they do every single day.
Police do tens of thousands of positive interactions and responses
to the public every day and they're going to continue
to do that.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Mitch.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Thank you very much, Mark Mitchell, Police Minister.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
For more from hither Duplassy Allen Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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