Retail workers say they are being threatened "almost daily" by groups of teenagers and have resorted to letting people steal goods at a south Canberra town centre.
A leaders forum in Tuggeranong has heard retail workers are increasingly exposed to abuse, threats and intimidation, often involving young people and repeat offenders.
McDonald's franchisee Ben Stockbridge said his staff were seeing an escalation in abusive behaviour across his six restaurants in the ACT, particularly in Tuggeranong.
"Most of it is just public nuisance-type behaviour, just running amok through our restaurant, congregating around the restaurant, and a lot of swearing, a lot of shouting, just inappropriate," he said.
"There are times where that escalates and they've damaged property and so our seats and tables will be thrown, items in the restaurant that's damaged TVs and or broken windows.
"We've had to put quite a few additional security measures in place to make sure that that team feels safe and supported, but at the same time, when they're on the ground, they're still dealing with that day to day."
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association hosted a forum discussing an increase in youth crime on Friday, March 15, attended by ACT politicians, shop and franchise owners, South.Point shopping centre, police and other stakeholders.
In a survey commissioned by the retail union, more than 50 per cent of respondents reported experiencing abuse or violence several times per week, with almost 25 per cent reporting it daily. Verbal abuse, theft and antisocial conduct were the most-reported aggressive behaviours, alongside physical intimidation and objects being thrown at staff.
One worker said incidents were "almost daily... mostly youth. Same groups most weeks," while another described being threatened after a routine interaction: "Two customers told me they would meet me outside after my shift to bash my head in."
Others reported escalating and unpredictable behaviour, including individuals "jumping behind the counter... invading personal space and stealing items," and groups of teenagers who "behave rudely, throw and damage products, steal and create overall chaos."
Staff described feeling anxiety, fear and fatigue, with one respondent saying the ongoing incidents left them "unsafe and unable to protect my team any longer," while another reflected a growing sense of disengagement: "I have since learned that I just have to let people steal. It isn't worth the abuse."
It is understood store owners also raised concerns about increasing levels of theft, with some businesses losing significant amounts of stock.
Mr Stockbridge said the restaurant had contracted a security company to do regular checks, particularly at night, and security guards often arrived faster than police when staff called to report incidents.
"When the police are able to attend, I've always had a great experience with them. They've been really helpful, they do their job and they're very committed.... [it] appears that the police are doing their best, but it's a resourcing issue."
ACT Policing, which attended the event, emphasised that incidents were taken seriously, though resource constraints limited response capacity, according to the SDA.
ACT SDA secretary Bernie Smith said the retail workers facing abuse were sons, daughters, parents and grandparents who lived in Tuggeranong.
"Everyone has a right to feel safe at work. Sadly, shop and fast food workers in Tuggeranong do not," he said.
"SDA members need to be protected at work by the police, the centre and their employers. Offenders need to face serious consequences for intimidating or abusing a shop worker. As a community we need to provide the youth services to divert young people from trouble to something more productive."
