Terrified traders have been forced to install “panic buttons” as they endure daily firebombings, violent assaults, ram raids and huge losses at the hands of thieves.
Fed-up small business owners are sounding the alarm over relentless store crime, with some installing emergency buttons to alert police when staff are threatened with weapons across Melbourne.
The Herald Sun asked more than 30 small businesses about their experiences with crime in the workplace, with 75 per cent of those declaring the situation is “much worse” than five years ago.
They said daily attacks to staff, theft and the constant threat of a firebombing or ram raid has driven them to breaking point.
More than 80 per cent said they had been threatened with violence over the past 12 months while 62 per cent had considered giving up their business as a result.
Morgan’s IGA owner Neal Morgan has installed “panic buttons” on each checkout for when his staff are physically threatened or if thieves are ransacking the business.
That button instantly alerts a security firm who call triple-0.
“If we have people walking in with machetes, knives, hammers, that’s rule number one — hit the panic button,” Mr Morgan told the Herald Sun.
“In all of our stores we’ve had to install bollards and roller shutters. We’ve got CCTV cameras everywhere. In the olden days, we didn’t have to do any of that.”
Master Grocers Australia chief executive Martin Stirling said his members’ biggest issues once stemmed from “kids stealing lollies” but now face a long list of threats.
Firebombings, ram-raids, assaults, drive-by shootings, cigarette swarmings, organised crime thefts, property damage and extortions are some of the risks associated with running a business in Melbourne now.
“The biggest concern an independent shopkeeper would have is a few kids stealing some lollies. That’s not the case anymore,” he said.
“It is far more violent and scary now. It’s life threatening. We’ve gone from kids stealing a few lollies to kids carrying weapons and threatening peoples lives.
“They’re terrified, and so they should be.”
The Herald Sun visited Mr Morgan’s Melton store on Friday, where he asked his staff to call police to attend to a drunk and half-naked man loitering outside.
“We’ve had people with machetes threaten staff so they can steal whatever they want,” Mr Morgan said.
“It’s pretty confronting for a teenager to be spat at, or having a knife held to them. And we’ve had guns involved as well.
“It becomes hard to find people who actually want to work, their parents have to make a decision whether they want their 15 or 16-year-old working on the frontline and dealing with that kind of behaviour.”
Mr Morgan said costs associated with monitoring and preventing crime were soaring.
He said he often watches the live CCTV feeds from his home in case his store comes under attack.
“Anything relating to shoplifting is costing us $1 million a year now. Prior to Covid, it was dramatically less,” he added.
“We are threatened, we’ve got illicit tobacconists all around us, so that brings a lot of crime in itself.
“I go to bed every night wondering if I’m going to get a call. If there’s going to be a fire, it can destroy a business overnight. You’re not going to get any insurance for it.
“You’re worrying 24/7 if you’re in business this day and age, absolutely.”
The 30-plus businesses were asked, on a scale of one to 10, how significant retail crime and safety concerns were for them in 2026.
The average response was an 8-out-of-10, and they said their answer would have been much lower five years ago.
They said their most pressing issue was operating near an illicit tobacconist — in case of a fire — while theft and the safety of staff were their second biggest worries.
More than half (52 per cent) said their shops had been damaged while 20 per cent said their staff had been attacked with weapons.
Three-quarters said crime was “much worse” than five years ago, and 62 per cent had considered waving the white flag as a result.