British Retail Consortium (BRC) reports over 10,000 shop thefts per day in The UK. Customer theft has increased by 33%, and damage has increased by 105% in 2019. Retail staff continue to face high volumes of violence, abuse and robberies on a day-to-day basis. Workers are also facing mental health issues when dealing with such crimes. The most concerning elements are that criminals use violence to assist with theft and crimes are usually committed by individuals who are intoxicated by drugs or alcohol.
Types of crimes:
1. Shoplifting: this involves stealing goods from retail shops. It can be committed by individuals or groups of people.
2. Checkout Fraud: some customers go the extra mile and avoid paying for items properly. They may swap barcodes, change price stickers or not pay for all items at the till. This is why all items should be security tagged, and staff should remain vigilant at all times.
3. Money Fraud: many customers may use stolen credit cards, counterfeit cash or fraudulent cheques to pay for items. This is illegal – and retailers need to have certain checks in place to avoid this. For example, cash needs to be inspected appropriately to ensure it is not forged.
4. Refund Fraud: some customers may attempt to return stolen items and they may forge receipts in the hope of gaining money or credit.
5. Moped Gangs: rising number of moped crimes have led to many ‘moped gangs’ targeting high-end shops such as jewellery stores and electronic shops.
How Security Officers Can Help Retailers?
- Security officers can help protect your retail site, employees, customers and products. Shoplifting is a major concern within retail. With a high volume of customers in store, it can be difficult to keep an eye on every individual. If security guards are present, it can deter offenders from carrying out any illegal acts. If any thefts do take place, the guards can quickly act accordingly and prevent a company from any major losses.
- Security officers can also help in de-escalating situations and addressing any threats and violence before they occur. Controlling the crowd during peak times is also highly important – officers can control customers accordingly in order to prevent any activity that it not wanted.
- In case of emergencies, staff may not be trained well enough to calmly deal with the situation at hand. Security officers, on the other hand are a great asset to retailers. They are trained to react calmly to situations, in good time and in the appropriate manner.
- Investing in manned guarding also gives clients a peace of mind. As suspicious activity can continuously be monitored on site, emergencies are dealt with correctly and tense situations are prevented. This also gives retail staff more space to focus on their job.
If you are a retailer looking to employ security officers for your site – do not hesitate to get in touch with G3 Security Services. G3 provide all clients with exceptional services to protect premises and personnel. Hiring security officers puts companies and individuals at an advantage. As officers can provide a physical presence, surveillance and on-going patrols.
T: 02032880000 / 02032880011
F: 02089119546
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