Auror and Axon deepen partnership in community safety push

Auror, the market leader in retail crime reporting, announced a new strategic partnership today with US-based safety and security technology leader, Axon Enterprise, as the companies continue the push for shared safety technologies between retailers and law enforcement. 

The new partnership will see Axon directly invest in Auror and take a seat on its board, with a view to creating product integration opportunities across their respective product suites. Axon’s investment in Auror occurs alongside other international investors in this latest capital raise, including W23 Global, a global grocery retail venture capital fund.

“Axon is such a trusted name in public safety and law enforcement partnerships, and by working together, more policing agencies will be able to collaborate with retailers to address the harms and challenges in their communities caused by retail crime”
– Phil Thomson, Auror CEO and co-Founder. 

Auror’s crime reporting and intelligence platform allows retailers to report instances of crime in their stores in a structured way, making it easier to see total offending and organised retail crime. Retailers may then voluntarily share that information to police, making it possible to focus on top offenders and organised crime networks. 

“Retailers are first and foremost concerned with the safety of their teams and their customers. Data shows that 10 percent of offenders are responsible for more than 65 percent of retail crime. That insight is crucial for law enforcement as they look to better focus their precious resources in the midst of a global policing recruitment challenge” Thomson says.

In August, a report by independent economists estimated that Auror’s use by New Zealand Police, one of the larger global forces, created nearly NZD$100m in productivity savings over a 12 month period, equivalent to adding over 450 additional officers to the force, creating over 170,000 hours of new capability uplift. 

“Retail crime is organised crime, not petty theft. The data also shows that repeat offenders can be four times more likely to be violent and everyone is seeing that retail crime is becoming more brazen.”
– Phil Thomson, Auror CEO and co-Founder.

Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith says “Axon’s mission to protect life extends beyond public safety — to workplaces where frontline workers face real threats. By partnering with Auror, a pioneer in retail crime intelligence and incident management solutions, we can strengthen collaboration between retail and law enforcement to help build safer communities for all.

Thomson says “There will never be a substitute for the hands-on work police do in our communities, but technology can, and should, be used to help those who keep us all safe, be as efficient as possible. Our vision is about creating safer communities through retailers and law enforcement working together, where public safety becomes everyone’s responsibility,”