The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) have released a joint statement following the stabbing of a Coles worker in Queensland.
Earlier this week, Queensland Police arrested a 13-year-old boy following a stabbing incident at a Coles supermarket in Yamanto, who was later charged with attempted murder.
Recent media reports indicate that Coles has since decided to stop selling kitchen knives.
The ARA and NRA are continuing to call for strengthened safety measures to protect retail workers amidst a “concerning wave of violence” in retail settings, the pair shared in a statement, adding that there have been around 700,000 retail crime incidents recorded nationally in the last year.
“We fully support retailers who are taking initiatives to improve safety for staff and commend Coles for taking swift action in response to the recent incident in QLD,” the statement read.
“The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) were deeply concerned by this shocking act of violence – something no worker should ever have to face.
“Our thoughts are with the injured worker and her co-workers.”
The ARA and NRA also recently welcomed the QLD Government’s reforms on knife crime, adding that they continue to call for further collaboration between industry and government to further improve safety for workers in retail settings.
The latest incident in Queensland comes after the State Government introduced new laws that came into effect on September 1 last year, which prohibit the sale of knives and controlled items to minors under 18 years of age.
A few months later, new scanning laws came into effect in New South Wales on December 9, giving NSW Police the power to scan people with handheld wands for knives or weapons without a warrant in areas including public transport zones, shopping precincts, certain sporting venues, and special events.