Prison and security

How to become a retail loss prevention officer

Official title: Retail loss prevention officer

Also called: Asset protection associate, Loss prevention detective, Loss prevention investigator, Store detective

Retail loss prevention officers help prevent and detect loss and theft of goods, money and other assets from organisations and shops.

Main tasks

Look for suspicious activity and prevent theft
Make sure stores are safe and secure
Watch security cameras
Respond quickly to incidents
Find evidence of crimes
Interview people to collect information
Prepare reports on incidents and investigations
Raise concerns about breaking rules

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a retail loss prevention officer and a qualification and experience may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Security (Foundation) (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Security (Intermediate) (Level 4); a driver licence; experience in similar work; to be at least 18 years old.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in security services. TEC links this job to study in other society and culture studies. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Security (Foundation). Usually 6 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $49,000 a year one year after study and $55,000 five years after; 49% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Median pay: $61,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $107,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $29.33 an hour.
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Security Officers and Guards: 9,378 at the 2018 Census and 10,617 at the 2023 Census (+13.2%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 250 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Security Officers and Guards, 25% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Security Officers and Guards work (2023 Census): Auckland 39.8%, Wellington 13.8%, and Canterbury 11.3%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a retail loss prevention officer?

How much does a retail loss prevention officer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $61,000 a year, before tax.

Has the number of people working as a retail loss prevention officer grown in New Zealand?

It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a retail loss prevention officer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026