We're all familiar with the retail crime wave that hit New Zealand post-Covid.
It was one for the history books: this was ramraid season, the season of those terrible dairy stabbings, and the data showed us that lawlessness was on the rise.
Fast forward to 2026 and a lot has changed. Governments have overseen increases to policing, shops have upped their security tech, and those worrying numbers are trending back down.
But is the story as simple as that?
One security expert says the data isn't perfect, and a post-Covid retail crime wave may have been overstated.
Nicholas Dynon is a security risk consultant and chief editor of NZ Security Magazine, a director at Optic Security.
He joins Emile Donovan.
Photo: RNZ / Mohammad Alafeshat
