Australia’s shopping centre industry is throwing unprecedented support behind Crime Stoppers, expanding the nation’s largest partnership of its type by more than 30 per cent after a successful first year.
From early September, a powerful Crime Stoppers call to action will reach millions of shoppers across Australia, with messaging appearing in more than 320 shopping centres, on more than 4,500 digital screens nationally.
The campaign encourages people to “See something suspicious? Tell us anonymously”, prompting shoppers and retailers to report suspicious activity safely and anonymously to Crime Stoppers, helping police prevent and solve crime.
Now in its second year, the campaign builds on a successful first year, which saw Crime Stoppers contacts increase by 17 to 50 per cent in some jurisdictions, reinforcing the value of keeping Crime Stoppers visible and front of mind.
Crime Stoppers Australia Chair, Ian Stewart AO APM, said taking the campaign into shopping centres was an opportunity to build awareness of Crime Stoppers as a trusted way to share information about crime or suspicious behaviour, with shopping centres among Australia’s most visited public spaces and providing an important opportunity to keep Crime Stoppers front of mind for millions of Australians.
“There’s a moment in time when someone sees something, hears something or knows something isn’t right and has to decide what to do next – and that’s when we want them to think of Crime Stoppers,” Mr Stewart said.
“We don’t need proof, we don’t need the whole story and we don’t want people to put themselves at risk. Anyone can simply share what they know or suspect without saying who they are.
“Around 70 per cent of contacts to Crime Stoppers are anonymous, and research tells us that as many as 30 per cent of people who share information say they would not have done so without that option to remain anonymous.
“For some people, anonymity is far more than simply a preference – it’s what gives them the confidence to speak up and take action about something that might be impacting them or someone they care about.”
SCCA Chair and Scentre Group CEO Elliott Rusanow said SCCA members are proud to be supporting Crime Stoppers through this national partnership.
“Shopping centres are part of the social fabric of communities across Australia.
“More than places to shop, they are community hubs, workplaces and gathering places that connect millions of Australians every day. That gives our industry a powerful platform to support initiatives that make those communities safer.”
“Crime Stoppers provides a simple and anonymous way for people to share information without putting themselves at risk. Our members are using their significant national footprint and connection with communities to make sure Australians know if they see something, they can say something. This is a practical example of the shopping centre industry using its scale and reach to support safer communities and strengthen the important work of police and Crime Stoppers.”
The inaugural campaign last year promoted Crime Stoppers in 225 shopping centres, across more than 3,380 digital screens and in front of more than 30,000 retailers nationally. Almost 280 million customer visits were recorded across participating centres during the previous campaign periods in late 2025 and early 2026.
The campaign will run from 8 September to 10 October 2026 and from 1 January 2027 to 30 January 2027.
The national awareness campaign will be supported by in-centre community activations in select locations, with a number of state and territory Crime Stoppers programs expected to participate.
The activations will provide opportunities for Crime Stoppers representatives to engage directly with shoppers and local communities. National campaign advertising will run throughout participating centres, reinforcing awareness of Crime Stoppers on-screen and face-to-face.
