A new line of attack to fight New Zealand's soaring retail crime problem.

Aimed at tackling anything from ram-raids to robberies, a police national retail investigation support unit will come into force this month.

Five years ago an Otago University study found retail theft caused more than $1 billion in lost income while retailers spent $500 million annually on security.

Retail New Zealand chief executive Greg Harford told Mike Hosking it's an ongoing problem.

“Everything we’re hearing is that the situation is getting worse. As I say, it’s not worse just in terms of the value of losses but in terms of the way the criminals are acting and the fact staff are being put at risk.”

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