Violent and Aggressive Behaviour (VAB)
Violent and aggressive behaviour is a workplace health and safety risk that can cause significant harm.
The consequences of VAB incidents can include physical and psychological injury, low team and individual morale, poor mental health, and increased absenteeism.
By the numbers
With nearly 150,000 retail crimes reported in Aotearoa New Zealand each year, addressing VAB is crucial and requires proactive, system-wide engagement.
The latest statistics from NZ Police show that between 2018 and 2023 there was a concerning rise in retail crime:
- Crime within a retail setting or a service station increased by 115%
- Robbery increased by 13% compared with the same period the previous year
- A potential shift to violent offending is occurring
According to the NZ Retail Crime Report (2023) by Retail NZ:
- The annual cost of retail crime is $2.6 billion, over 1% of New Zealand’s GDP.
- 92% of participating retailers reported they were affected by crime in the past 12 months, an 11% increase from seven years ago.
Our approach
ShopCare collaborates with subject matter experts to implement evidence-based solutions that manage and reduce the impact of violent and aggressive workplace incidents.
Retail operators, both large and small, benefit from learning techniques to identify and mitigate conflict, which can lead to a reduction in the number of VAB incidents.
Our work aims to:
- Reduce the risk of physical and mental harm to retail workers caused by VAB from members of the public.
- Decrease the number of retail-related VAB incidents through establishing evidence-based interventions to help retailers mitigate conflict.
How ShopCare can help your business
- We provide training, develop resources, and showcase effective controls.
- Our freely available De-escalation Programme has been designed to prepare customer-facing teams and store managers for situations with angry, aggressive or potentially violent customers.
- We facilitate information sharing and collaborative learning for all retail operators, large and small.
- Retail workers and managers can learn helpful techniques for identifying and mitigating potential conflict, reducing the number of incidents across the sector.
- Working with stakeholders such as NZ Police will help to create consistent, effective methods for risk identification and incident de-escalation.
ShopCare training
At ShopCare, we offer a comprehensive De-escalation Programme designed to help customer-facing teams and store managers handle situations involving angry, aggressive, or potentially violent customers. This training equips them with the skills and confidence needed to manage these situations effectively and stay safe.
Our programme is freely available and includes four tailored courses, click to access below.
Team members will learn to develop situational awareness, helping them recognise angry customers before situations escalate.
By the end of this course, they will be able to:
- Observe their surroundings
- Assess situations
- Identify angry and potentially aggressive customers on entry
Topics include:
- How to observe and assess your surroundings
- Practical tips to be more aware, like greeting every customer and trusting your instincts
- What to look for in body language, facial expressions, verbal language and typical behaviours of angry customers
- Basic actions to take when noticing an angry customer, such as alerting your team, keeping an eye on them, and still offering fantastic customer service
This course teaches team members how to de-escalate situations with angry customers.
By the end of this course, they will be able to:
- Stay calm by controlling their emotions
- Use communication techniques to make customers feel heard
- Use non-threatening body language
- Maintain a safe distance from angry customers
- Support their teammates
Topics include:
- Managing natural fear responses
- Using the H.E.A.R technique (Hear, Empathise, Ask, Resolve)
- How to handle ongoing aggressive behaviour from a customer
- Maintaining safe distances (at least 3 metres) without blocking exits
- How to work as a team by using code words and getting help
This course teaches team members what to do when de-escalation efforts are not working, or they feel unsafe.
By the end of this course, they will know how to:
- Safely disengage from an escalated customer
- Get help from a manager, security, or the police
- Adjust de-escalation methods in more extreme situations
Topics include:
- When to seek help from a manager and how to communicate this to the customer
- How to handle an excalated customer if manager isn’t available
- How to disengage safely and politely from aggressive customers
- What to do in extreme situations, such as drug-induced anger and violence
- How to report incidents to the workplace and the police
Click here to access the training
Store managers will learn how to support their team in dealing with angry or aggressive customers.
By the end of this course, managers will be able to:
- Assist team members who need help with aggressive customers
- Support team members after VAB incidents
- Facilitate ongoing de-escalation training and practice
Topics include:
- What to do when your team member comes to you for help
- Approaching angry customers and offering solutions
- Knowing when to continue helping and when to ask them to leave
- Using trespass notices
- Supporting team members personally after a VAB incident, and offering professional services information
- How to support team members with reporting the event
- How to facilitate ongoing de-escalation training through roleplay and discussion
Click here to access the training
Note that the ShopCare De-escalation Programme does not cover armed robbery or shoplifting, although mentioned.
ShopCare research
“Keep it Safe, Keep it Civil”
Understanding the causes of VAB incidents can help to reduce their impact. ShopCare has commissioned a two-part programme to:
- Investigate the underlying causes of VAB
- Develop a proactive, multi-sector work programme to reduce VAB frequency and ferocity in retail settings
Read our latest research and insight:
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VAB data
Collaboration is crucial for the industry to tackle VAB. We work with stakeholders across multiple sectors to share successful interventions and reduce the harm caused to frontline workers and the community.
NZ Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit (NRISU)
In November 2021, the NRISU was established – an internal Police unit that targets repeat offenders across the motu/country who are offending in multiple locations but may not be identified at a local level.
The unit partners with the retail sector and crime prevention organisations at a national level and works with police staff at a district level to assist them to specifically target offenders causing the greatest harm to the retail sector, its staff, and customers. To date they have laid 2,000 charges and arrested 350 offenders and laid 2,000 charges.
The NZ Police Retail Crime Prevention Hub has helpful resources including educational videos, posters, and advice.
Retail NZ
As New Zealand’s peak body for retailers, Retail NZ publishes an annual Retail Crime Report, presenting key findings on crime trends across the sector over six years.
NZ Police Crime Snapshot Dashboard
NZ Police are a strategic partner of ShopCare focusing on the violent and aggressive behaviours encountered by our frontline workers within the retail sector and beyond. The link below will direct you to an interactive dashboard that can be used to understand trends and hotspots. The dashboard captures all crime data, however there are specific crime types and geographic areas which will be of interest to retail and wider sectors.
The dashboard enables focus on the following geographical areas;
- National
- Regional
- Specific districts
The dashboard enables focus on the specific crime types relevant to retail such as:
- Assault
- Robbery
- Burglary
- Theft
Note: the dashboard covers all crime within the specific crime type, for example, home burglary stats.
VAB Webinars
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Behaviour & Conflict ID – “The Non-verbal’s utilised by those with bad intent in the retail space”
Scott Taylor shares insights on the physiological changes that people with bad intent show in the retail space, if their intent is theft, violence or anti-social activities. He teaches how to be better prepared to identify and manage a potential situation.
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Safety & Security, Managing Aggressive Behaviour, and Crowded Places Strategy
Paul Walsh (Rusec Ltd.) and Craig Webb (QRisk NZ) take you through strategies for personal safety and security in crowded places.