Making your way through the centre of any major city while the country was in lockdown over the past 15 months, especially the business and commercial district, was undoubtedly a strange, almost eerie experience. Deserted and silent streets, empty of traffic and the normal bustle of office workers and commuters yattering into their phones or hurrying to and from appointments or the nearest station.

Although office lights were on in some buildings, you could see through the windows that there didn’t seem to be anyone inside. As for visitors and tourists, they were a temporarily extinct species.

However, since the summer, slowly and very gradually, office life appears to be picking up again, but working from home still seems to be the preferred option for many, certainly for part of the week if not all of it. Quite whether life will ever return to pre-pandemic times is anyone’s guess as companies take all this into account and review their accommodation requirements, many now choosing to downsize.

But where does all this uncertainty leave the many small businesses that fill the street-level units of many city office blocks or the ticket halls of the various tube and mainline stations? Sandwich and coffee shops, bars and restaurants, florists and dry cleaners, hairdressers and barbers, card shops and newsagents… all are small retailers who rely on the day-to-day trade the office workers, commuters and visitors used to bring. Many are teetering on the brink of serious financial trouble, whilst many have already given up and closed down, unable to sustain their operation with too few customers and rising levels of debt.

It is estimated that 50% of retail rents from 2020 remained unpaid going into 2021, and of course, the lockdown continued for months after that. Resolution of this continues to prove painful, with landlords either aggressively chasing what is due to them or formally taking the pain themselves on their balance sheet. Meanwhile, at the beginning of August, amendments to planning regulations came in that should make it easier for change of use development from commercial to residential. The new class MA (‘Mercantile to Abode’) now allows the conversion of many empty Class E commercial premises into new homes without planning permission. Because of this, some landlords might take advantage of the planning law change and decide not to renew the leases of some of their other surviving tenants because the prospect of conversion to residential property is an attractive and potentially profitable option. This could, however, add even more to the amount of vacant retail space.

Therefore, until life returns to some semblance of pre-pandemic normality and trade picks up, these vacant retail units sit dormant and empty, abandoned and unwanted… and a magnet for all types of trouble.

Risks to vacant property

Security has never been more important than in quiet and deserted streets, especially at night and especially in city centres. Trouble comes in many forms: thieves, mindless vandals; anti-social behaviour of all types, from drug dealing to fighting; arson; and squatters – the list is long and varied.

Do you know the scrap value of some common metals? Take copper, for instance. Its current average value is somewhere in the region of £4 per kilo. You could get £2 for brass and £1 for lead. In fact, everything metal has a value. So what, you might say, but vacant property is likely to have quite a lot of the stuff in it, possibly all three metals in the shape of pipes, radiators, wiring and interior fixtures and fittings. It wouldn’t take much to collect it into a nice little pile and toddle off to the nearest scrap dealer. Cushtie. A nice little earner, as a certain Mr Trotter might say.

With fewer people passing by anyway, no one is likely to take much notice of what they presume to be builders clearing out an empty shop unit, except they’re probably not builders nor shopfitters. The mess that’s left behind for the landlord or facilities manager to put right is a nightmare, especially in terms of inconvenience and cost. And don’t forget, insurance on vacant property is notoriously lacking.

It normally only covers FLEA (Fire, Lightning, Explosion and Aircraft impact) unless you pay an expensive premium to cover further risks. And that’s just an example of one potential form of trouble.

The question is, how do you best secure your vacant retail shop or unit until it either gets re-let, or re-purposed?

CCTV overload

Many city buildings bristle with the latest in security technology and access control. For example, estimates suggest there is anything between half and three-quarters of a million CCTV cameras in London alone. But are the cameras on empty retail units with ‘for sale’ or ‘to let’ signs above them still working?

Were they operated by the landlord or his erstwhile tenants, and are they still monitored 24/7? It takes a mere minute for an opportunist vandal to push a firework or flammable substance through a letterbox, and junk mail on the mat goes up in flames, setting the rest of the premises on fire. Unfortunately, CCTV won’t stop that unless security personnel can be on the spot in record time.

And the other problem these days is face masks. Eighteen months ago, anyone lurking in or around a property, especially a vacant one, with a mask on or their face half-covered, would immediately arouse suspicion. Nowadays, it’s the complete reverse, and it has made the identification of thieves or troublemakers virtually impossible, no matter how good the CCTV images are.

Budget is another consideration while business and the British economy struggle to recover from the combination of Brexit and the pandemic. It’s fine if the building is occupied by paying tenants, but an issue if it’s vacant. Expert and tailored advice on how to secure a vacant building from break-ins or vandalism is what’s called for, without having to spend money unnecessarily. If the security solution is tailored to the individual premises after a comprehensive risk assessment by the right professional, the most appropriate protection can be put in place.

Deterrent is the key word here and affordability the pertinent point, with peace of mind the result. We are living and working in unusual and strange times when security has to be flexible and take account of new and different circumstances, and sometimes technology needs a helping hand with more traditional solutions.

Gideon Reichental

Commercial Sales Manager

Clearway Services, and Chairman of the Vacant Property Protection Section of the British Security Industry Association.

www.clearway.co.uk

Read previous article from Clearway Services on CCTV and GDPR compliance

Read more articles on Retail Security

Read more articles on CCTV systems

The post Security for Vacant Retail Property appeared first on City Security Magazine.

Much like a return to the workplace, in-store shopping offers something that its online equivalent cannot – an experience. But this will be muted somewhat with a hyper awareness of personal safety and – for many – an anxiety of suddenly being in large crowds once again.

Security officers have been at the front and centre of our limited retail experience throughout the pandemic and will continue to play a vital role.

The pandemic has created five years’ worth of internet sales growth and five years of high-street decline in a single year. That is according to Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association. That prediction doesn’t look hopeful for retailers. However, on closer inspection, the situation may not be so simple as a migration online. Primark, a huge name on the high street, refused to move online and took a hit to sales through both lockdowns as a result. However, when it reopened, sales soared above what had been predicted.

Forbes has suggested that we may see “revenge shopping”– customers making up for lost time and enjoying newly earned freedom after the lockdown – and the statistics for Primark suggest this may well be the case. However, to effectively cater to shoppers, organisations must understand what will draw them back to the high street.

Creating an experience

After a year of isolation, getting back out into towns and cities is about more than being able to shop, for most. The freedom brings with it a sense of autonomy and an opportunity to meet friends and catch up. Browsing in shops is no longer necessary, so those choosing to visit shops rather than order online will do so for the whole experience. Those who don’t go out to shop may still be tempted to browse after visiting a coffee shop or hairdressers. But shoppers will only choose to do so if they feel safe.

Research suggests that almost half of shoppers are still uncomfortable about returning to the high street. To allow shoppers to relax and enjoy the retail experience, retailers must go above and beyond to demonstrate the precautions they are taking. While sanitising surfaces is a vital precaution, it doesn’t offer added reassurance unless it is done in front of shoppers. Instead, safety precautions have to be clearly visible.

Security officers have played a front of house role throughout the pandemic. They have been central to maintaining safety precautions by managing occupancy, taking temperatures, enforcing mask-wearing, and maintaining social distancing. With a greater focus than ever on retail as an experience, front-of-house staff will be at the heart of welcoming shoppers back. They will work to reassure shoppers, ensure their safety, and create an excellent retail experience.

Officers have already moved into more front-of-house roles, continuously interacting with customers, offering reassurance as well as safety. They have had to use empathy to deal with anxious shoppers while also being strict on rules to keep everyone safe. Excellent people skills have become a core part of the security officer role and will only become more so as in-person shopping becomes common once again.

Upgrading the tech

Technology has become indispensable in protecting against COVID, and many retailers will find that effective technology is vital in attracting shoppers back. Touch-free options and temperature sensors are already being introduced. While COVID precautions such as taking temperatures may not be permanent, we will undoubtedly have a more hygiene-conscious society after COVID. Touch-free systems will likely become the norm. Many organisations are already creating apps that make a touch-free experience possible.

Occupancy sensors and automated screens to tell shoppers when they can enter a shop or public toilet can streamline the experience. Making these technologies commonplace will help to keep people safe, reassure anxious shoppers and remind those who are less anxious to take care. These sensors can also be used to collect occupancy data and allow retailers to better predict trends in footfall.

Such technology will have just as important a role in the retail experience as security officers. The role that officers once filled as visual deterrents can be – in part – filled by technology such as security cameras and sensors that will also collect data and inform retailers’ staffing needs. By taking on some of the work traditionally filled by manned-guarding, this tech frees officers to better fill the role that technology can’t – customer service.

Combining both tech and excellent front-of- house services is the key to streamlining the retail experience. If well-designed, retail security systems can offer data insights and define the post-COVID way of shopping.

Revisiting existing processes

While tech offers a new way forward for lots of retailers, there are still existing processes that need to be re-examined. Many retailers are opening their doors for the first time in months and processes that made sense before might not any more. In addition, staff may need to be re-trained.

Security officers have been playing a big part in crowd control right from the first lockdown, including in-store occupancy and queues outside. There’s a risk that lockdown fatigue, combined with a strong vaccination programme, may give customers a false sense of security and see them fail to follow COVID protocols. Security officers need to be kept informed of store policies on occupancy levels and how to enforce COVID procedures.

Refreshers on emergency evacuation policies and first aid training would not go amiss either. These would usually have been happening if a store had stayed open and it’s important to stay on top of these policies for the safety of staff and customers.

There is no denying that COVID has brought changes to the high street, but it has far from rung the death knell for retailers. It may have accelerated a move to online shopping for now, but it has also reminded the public of the joys of getting out, browsing, and spending time with friends. Physical retail has a huge amount to offer as long as it is able to adapt to the times.

Darren Read

Managing Director

Amulet

www.amulet.co.uk

The post Security and the retail experience appeared first on City Security Magazine.

Ian Pugh chronicles the ups and downs that 2020 brought for those responsible for security at shopping centres and how these will continue in 2021.

Little did I know when I said a toast to welcome in 2020 that it would end with it being the toughest year in my 35-year security career, culminating in my departure from a job I loved due to administration.

I began the year with lots of plans as Group Head of Security for intu to continue the great work our in-house security team was achieving and to further strengthen our security strategy and partnerships to continue ensuring our shopping centres remain safe and secure.

It started with reports from China in January about a new virus now known as COVID-19 and then in March lockdown was upon us and all those plans went out of the window.

The first challenge was having to change our security strategy from looking after a crowded place where we, as a group, had been used to previously welcoming over 400 million repeat customer visits per year to locking down the security of our centres to essential retailers only.

The need was to introduce detailed security procedures so that our teams’ focus was on securing a shopping centre and to prevent people coming in unless they were visiting an essential retailer. Security teams whose focus had always been managing security issues in the centre and supporting retailers with their own security issues whilst welcoming the public in were now doing the opposite and were having to prioritise social distancing rather than hostile reconnaissance.

No sooner had those plans been put in place then planning began about re-opening the shopping centres and re-designing our security strategy to ensure that our centres continued to be safe places in the new normal.

There have been lots of negatives this year but from my perspective there have been positives as well. The collaboration between competing landowners around security and the sharing of information through groups like the Revo Security Committee, Oris Forums, Retail Business Continuity Association and our partners across the European Council of Shopping Places security group all brought us closer together and ensured that as we prepared to re-open we were supporting each other and sharing our ideas to enable the safe opening of our centres.

When re-opening occurred, plans were in place and new security strategies written but no one could have expected some of the abuse security teams in shopping centres and workers within retail units were to receive from members of the public who did not want to wear a mask or did not want to follow social distancing measures.

The abuse was unacceptable, but our teams and the retail teams dealt with it and continued to deliver great security under extreme conditions, whilst having to wear face coverings themselves.

In September news broke that the Sunday Times had published a letter to the prime minister on behalf of 23 major retailers, from CEOs of supermarkets to industry bodies and high street shops, warning that shop workers were facing an ever-rising tide of abuse, threats and violence from customers as they introduced safety measures around COVID-19. The letter was written in support of a private member’s bill tabled by Labour MP, Alex Norris. It also hoped that shopping centre security teams are included in this bill.

So, with the shopping centres now open, albeit under strict social distancing measures, retail could look to re-build, but casualties were already being seen across the country in retail, and no bigger casualty than intu who went into administration.

The final part of my year has been to support the transition of our centres over to new owners and operators and to see over 600 security officers, who were operating to a clear security strategy, transferred out of the business to continue their careers with new companies. Some great people who were highly trained will continue to be an asset to their new employers but will be missed by myself and fellow colleagues.

So, what next for retail and retail security? There will be continued challenges in 2021 with organisations facing the challenge of keeping costs down and reducing overheads.

It will be the role of the security directors of those organisations, either from the landlord or service provider side, to stand fast and be confident in their own expertise to continually stress the importance of security within crowded places and the need for security teams to be well funded, well-resourced and to remain a key priority of any organisation’s strategy in keeping our crowded places safe and secure.

For my part I will be starting a new chapter in my 35-year security career as a director of my own security consultancy business and a non-executive director of the Kiasu group.

I am looking forward to working with and supporting companies who have a passion for security and who want to keep security at the top of the agenda during these challenging times.

Retail security is a great environment to work in and I wish everyone who works within the industry best wishes for the future.

Ian Pugh

Security Consultant

To read more about the response to COVID-19, see also Andy Kynoch on the security response to COVID-19,  Thermal camera systems taking the temperature of COVID-19 and Resilience during COVID-19

For more articles on retail security, see our Retail Security Category.

The post Covid-19 challenges for shopping centre security appeared first on City Security Magazine.

This article was nominated for the City Security magazine Article of the Year Award.

Managing security in the luxury retail sector is challenging, demanding and rewarding. Here Paul Rodriguez, an Operations Manager at a central London location, shares a typical week with us.

Monday

Sitting on the train on Monday morning, I review my schedule for the week ahead.

My role includes overseeing a diverse range of tasks to keep our retail clients in the luxury sector secure and happy. I take advantage of this quiet moment to step back and review what’s in front of me, I find these moments can make a real difference.

At 7.30 a.m. I receive my first phone call of the day: a client asking if they can have extra operators for a last-minute visit by a high-profile visitor. I quickly check the schedule to see who’s on shift and make the necessary arrangements to accommodate them.

My morning in the office today is about keeping on top of the day-to-day tasks, such as managing the key holding scheme, rostering and staff management.

Tuesday

First thing in the morning, our local police are in touch with intel about a suspected smash and grab team operating in a neighbouring area. In the recent past, our surveillance team has responded to and assisted police with seven smash and grab attempts and developed a specific communication network with the Flying Squad. Many of these situations require us to gather CCTV footage or images captured by ourselves or the public, cordon off the area and maintain the scene for the police forensics unit, and also feed live intel into West End Central about the suspect’s direction of travel / vehicle registration and description.

I decide to send out an email alert to all our clients in the area using the intel on the suspects’ from the police, together with a refresh on the steps they can take to avoid this crime happening to them.

Wednesday

Today I’m meeting a potential new client. One of the challenges is that some retailers opt for the lower cost option and use firms with a self-employed model to hire their security staff. These companies don’t carry out relevant vetting checks and I believe they offer much less protection to the client. This undermines the SIA and other governing bodies and public perception about the security sector can suffer as a result.

Part of my role involves helping these clients see the benefits of working with a company like ours that aims to not only provide security of the highest standard but which wants to invest in its employees and is innovative in their approach to the industry.

I explain our business model, including our staff management style, our close relationship with the police and our weekly operator inspections to ensure our standards of service are maintained. They seem really impressed. They make their decision on Friday. Fingers crossed!

Thursday

This morning I take a tour of my patch and catch up with the members of my team, find out how things are with them and if they need any support. I’ve experienced it myself: standing on a door for twelve hours a day and all you have to think about is what’s going on in your life, which can result in you losing your focus.

Today, one member of staff is concerned about her son’s exam results which are due any day. We’ve talked about him many times, so I know he is a hard-working lad. We agree that he’s done his best and that’s all she can ask. Fingers crossed it pays off with great results.  After our five-minute chat, she looks more at ease and able to keep focusing on her role.

I aim to understand everyone’s background and what’s going on in their lives, and to support and nurture them while at work. I find that it always helps to have someone you can call on to listen to your problems and offer you an opinion (whether it be a supportive manner or a tough voice that’s needed), when you know you’ll be heard.

Friday

One of my favourite parts of my role is delivering training and this morning I’m delivering a module on credit card fraud to one of our clients. I have developed a bespoke training package designed to inform clients of the best practice to use in these situations. The training is well received, with feedback that they feel much better placed to spot this kind of fraud.

As I travel home on Friday evening, the phone goes:, it’s my boss, to tell me that the potential clients we met have decided to take us on. Great news and guess who has the biggest smile on their face in this train carriage!

Saturday / Sunday

This is a seven day per week operation and I’m on call over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, I receive a call that our undercover team have identified and detained a pair suspected of stealing. Working together using internal CCTV and radio communications they’ve discreetly detained the pair while waiting for the police. I congratulate them on a job well done.

I take a moment to reflect on my excellent team and my role. Developing my staff is a priority for me and I encourage my team to adopt this approach:

1. Believe in yourself
2. Identify your strengths and use them
3. Ask questions
4. Listen and learn: take the advice, don’t ignore it!
5. Plan ahead; good preparation is key
6. Find a company that will support you and your development.

Paul Rodriguez

Operation Manager, Luxury Retail

Amulet Security

www.amulet.co.uk

The post A week in the life of a security ops manager appeared first on City Security Magazine.

Crime prevention: an essential business function

Academics have developed a range of theories, and practitioners a range of approaches but they are not equally good. Determining what the problems are, matching appropriate responses, and implementing them well are skillful tasks.

As one academic Bjorg has written, ‘crime problems require complex solutions’. Part of the problem is that the world of security and crime prevention has undersold itself. Anyone would think in a business setting it is a marginal activity, rather than, as is more often the reality, an essential business function that enables an organisation to operate effectively, providing protection and facilitating profits.

This is true of crime prevention generally; buyers and other stakeholders too often see security in terms of some tangible measure: a security officer, an alarm etc. The security sector for too long has allowed people to see security that way. It is a reality that every business process and all workers are both a potential security weakness and a potential ally in good security. It means those charged with responding need to understand business processes and the roles of all workers to identify and mitigate risks. They also need to be able to monitor internal and external events.

Understanding security measures

Alongside understanding the business as a business, those in charge of security of course have to understand security measures. There have in the past been comments that the problem with security is that nothing works.

Well, it is true that all things can sometimes fail. But, it is more the case that all measures – credible ones – can work and are likely to when they are an effective response to a problem and are well managed.

Crime and security in the world of retail

I would like to illustrate my point by discussing a study where I interviewed twelve heads of loss prevention (they were not always called that) about their approach to crime and security in the world of retail.

They noted a number of trends that were impacting on their ability to be effective and in their different ways, represent the marginalisation of loss prevention within retailing.

Fewer police officers and retail staff

One of the main challenges they face is the withdrawal of the police commitment and presence on the high street; officers are much less likely to be available to attend stores. To complicate this further, interviewees noted a tendency of stores to have fewer staff available on the shop floor. Both the police and retailers are cost-cutting, often under some guise of being more ‘efficient’, but often with negative implications for security.

Assessing security and success

Another trend was the speed with which retailers implement decisions, for example, about store locations without always taking the time to assess security implications. Further was a tendency to judge success, at least in part, on shrinkage rates, when in reality they had limited control over them; greater influence they argued rested with store operations teams.

Budget squeeze

More generally, the squeeze on expenditure in retailing rarely excluded loss prevention; it was more difficult to generate support for expenditure on measures to prevent loss. This was not helped by the lowly status of loss prevention management in being distanced from the Board. That said, interviewees generally felt they were effective and that their work was supported by the hierarchy.

Appropriate security measures

Interviewees were positive about most security measures where they fitted with the environment and were an appropriate response. They felt that staff are the most important security measure. This highlights again how important it is that retail security and, for that matter, any type of security engages with the whole business.

The future: technology and collaboration

They pointed to the increasing value of databases in developing both an understanding of problems and in shaping responses to them. Indeed, in thinking of the future they pointed to better use of data, using technologies more effectively, and getting that engagement with staff aligned with the aims of loss prevention.

Interestingly, in the highly competitive world of retailing, some pointed to the benefits that might accrue to not only collaborating with other retailers on loss prevention but committing to sharing resources.

How the best in security can distinguish themselves

There is a real difference between being outstanding as opposed to merely good.

Only the very best are able to continually show success, and because of that we need to know who they are; we need others to replicate them. There are two possible routes where the best in security can distinguish themselves.

Firstly, Secured Environments, www.securedenvironments.com, a police certification scheme awarded to organisations that are able to show that they have adopted six key principles for protecting themselves against crime.

Secondly, the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), www.uk.theospas.com, focused on outstanding security performers.

The security world is generally very good at what it does. We just need to commit to not keeping that fact secret.

Martin Gill

www.perpetuityresearch.com

The post How do you prove you are good at retail loss prevention? appeared first on City Security Magazine.

‘Charity’ and ‘fraud’ are two words that many people don’t automatically associate with one another. Yet charities are as vulnerable to fraud as other organisations.

Each year billions of pounds are diverted away from genuine charities and into the hands of fraudsters. The overall cost of fraud to the UK sector could be as much as £2bn a year or about three per cent of annual charity income.

Fraud significantly impacts the good work that charities do. And some charities with shops or trading outlets may face greater risks because of the nature of their activities, according to the Charity Commission.

The scale of the problem

The Charity Retail Association estimates that there are about 11,200 charity shops in the UK, raising more than £270m each year for good causes.

Theft of donated stock, shoplifting and employee fraud feature amongst retailers’ biggest concerns, though these are ranked below concerns about volunteer shortages, increasing costs, and health and safety issues, according to the Charity Shops Survey 2017.

This is not surprising given the uncertainties facing the UK retail sector as a whole from Brexit, rent hikes and lower customer footfall on the high street.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has estimated the total cost of fraud to UK retailers last year was £155m, with the most common risks being employer (insider) fraud, refund fraud, card-not-present fraud and cybercrime. Charity retailers face the same risks. Although there is no way to eliminate all fraud, there are some simple steps that charity retailers can take to reduce the risk, and good policies, procedures, oversight and training are a must. So too is collaboration with other sector participants to share information and good practice and to create a sense of community.

The threat from within

No retailer likes to believe that someone working in their shop might be a fraudster. But employees and volunteers are both potential sources of fraud risk. At least one third of all charity frauds are committed by someone on the inside, and the BRC has found that insider theft within the retail sector is on the rise.

Research published by the Charity Commission earlier this year found that most insider frauds were made possible because of:

• poor challenge and oversight
• no internal controls or, where controls did exist, not applying them consistently, and
• too much trust and responsibility being placed in one person.

This can present real challenges for charity retailers, who report that it is becoming more difficult to recruit and retain good volunteers at a time when training budgets are also shrinking.

The importance of robust recruitment processes should not be underestimated. Charity retailers should take care over the people they recruit and foster a culture of honest ethical behaviour.

The growing threat of cyber-fraud

An increasing number of charity retailers are moving online, using third-party websites such as eBay and Amazon as well as their own sites to sell goods. Last year alone, online sales increased by 36 per cent according to the Charity Shops Survey 2017.

This, of course, opens up new risks from cyber-criminals and means that online fraud is a growing threat. About half of respondents in the BRC survey had seen an increase in cyber-attacks in the last year, with phishing, theft of data and denial-of-service attacks the most significant.

Card-not-present fraud accounts for most UK card fraud losses according to UK Finance (72 per cent in 2017) and UK retailers lost an estimated £206m to e-commerce fraud last year.  For free practical advice about online security (including card payments), visit

www.getsafeonline.org/business

or read the new cyber security guide for charities published by the National Cyber Security Centre, www.ncsc.gov.uk/charity

Charity Fraud Awareness Week 22–26 October 2018.

Charity Fraud Awareness Week brings together everyone working within or supporting the charity and voluntary sectors to raise awareness and share good practice in tackling fraud and financial crime.

Topics to be covered include cyber-fraud, insider fraud, and sending and receiving money safely.

Entries are now open for this year’s

Charities Against Fraud Awards, which recognise the outstanding contributions individual charities are making in tackling fraud. The awards are free to enter and open to all UK registered charities.

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Friday 28 September. Winners will be announced on 22 October at a special ceremony in London.

For further information on how to get involved or to download the free supporters pack, please visit our website.

Mia Campbell, Head, Fraud Advisory Panel

www.fraudadvisorypanel.org

The post Shopping around for good charity fraud advice appeared first on City Security Magazine.

Following a significant increase in retail robbery in north Liverpool, frequently involving knives and guns, Merseyside Police launched an innovative operation in 2014 that continues today to counter this crime.

Detailed analysis and activity, as prescribed by the problem-solving triangle approach, focused attention on the locations, victims and offenders concerned.

The resulting operation, including traditional police detective work, a creative media campaign and involvement across the community, led to significant decreases, in some locations by over 50%, demonstrating that a concerted approach can make a big impact on retail crime.

Location, location, location

The detailed analysis carried out initially identified two hotspots for retail crime in Liverpool, covering four streets, with fifty-six repeat locations. Large amounts of cash were stolen and cigarettes were a particular target. This was a crime worth committing.

Understanding the offenders

To fully understand the reasons for offenders carrying out retail crime, the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) funded academic research involving interviews with offenders in prison. Two key findings helped inform the operation: make it more difficult for these types of crimes to be committed and make the rewards less attractive.

Victims

Merseyside Police visited potential target premises, such as convenience stores with an off licence, bookmakers, banks, pubs, garages, post offices and beauty/tanning shops. Each premises was individually assessed to ensure the right crime prevention advice and equipment was supplied. Officers advised the premises owners on how to properly protect themselves: crucially, to keep less cash on the premises and where cash was kept, to make effective use of cash boxes.

Police Action

Using the intelligence provided by the analysis and research, Merseyside Police carried out a range of actions to clear up outstanding retail crimes and to prevent any further ones occurring. These targeted actions included:

• Dedicated police resources, especially over the Christmas period, with a dedicated chief inspector and detective inspector ensured retail crime had a real focus. Special constables, volunteers and PCSOs played an important role.
• A day of action on outstanding warrants – a high profile media event where warrants were executed right across the force to let robbery offenders and their associates know that the police were coming after them.
• Target hardening kits were provided for vulnerable premises: DNA kits – consisting of a DNA spray that is activated when an offender leaves the premises, spraying an invisible DNA spray onto their body and clothing that will link them back to the crime scene if they are caught. Smoke cloak systems – these activate when a break-in occurs, filling the protected area with an impenetrable cloud of fog. This provides an effective barrier and forces the intruders to leave.
• Stay safe alarms – enabling staff to activate a high-pitched alarm  from a small hand-held device, if feeling threatened.
• Lone worker alarms – enabling lone workers to raise the alarm at a 24/7 incident management centre, by the press of a button on a small device.
• Tracking devices – these can be placed within high value items, such as HiFi equipment, bikes and cigarettes and if these items are stolen, the device can be activated. This can aid recovery of the valuables and apprehension of the offenders.

Media Strategy to tackle Retail Crime in Liverpool

Alongside these activities, Merseyside Police developed a powerful media strategy with the key objectives of demonstrating that they take the issue of retail crime seriously and will take tough measures to combat it and to encourage members of the public to support their efforts and come forward with any related intelligence.

This innovative internal and external communications strategy included signage, posters, leaflets and a large marketing campaign of billboards and adshels.

Within the premises that had been identified as vulnerable, numerous warning posters, signs and stickers were displayed. Some of the key messages sent out during the operation:

• Forensic marking and other target hardening devices are placed in shops and homes in the area.
• Stolen goods can be traced and the offenders will be caught.
• Merseyside police is committed to reducing business robbery and domestic burglary.

Partnership working

This operation involved not only Merseyside Police and its PCC, but surrounding police forces, the Chamber of Commerce and Crimestoppers.

Partnership involvement included training on the operation for magistrates: they were briefed on the kit and how it works, so when the forensic spray or smoke cloak device was referred to in a statement they understood what it meant.

Results

An overall reduction in business robbery, especially in main risk premises of bookmakers and convenience stores with an off licence, with a significant reduction in armed robberies.

How will it be maintained?

Merseyside Police aims to maintain these results with a dedicated Crime Prevention Officer who visits every premises subject to a business robbery and completes  a security assessment. Additionally, information is shared daily through industry sector groups such as banks and bookmakers throughout Merseyside, with quarterly meetings to share good practice.  Work will continue with the Gambling Commission and Environmental Health authorities to ensure an ongoing, joined-up approach to preventing crime.

Superintendent Jenny Sims

Merseyside Police

The post Approach to retail crime in Liverpool in 2014 produces results. appeared first on City Security Magazine.

We must refer to them as non-paying customers.

This is the directive from the head of one of the UK’s large homeware retail chains and the sentiment within the statement dictates their approach to security.

Nick Fisher, the newly appointed CEO of Facewatch, said: “Our work with businesses is showing that just ten per cent of low-level crime is reported and only five per cent is solved, which means that businesses of all sizes are paying a high price for rising petty criminal activity, and there is growing apathy among victims.” he added.

In an internal memo for one large retail organisation, their security staff have been told to stop the use of the Civil Recovery Process against shoplifters as “the income derived from the process outweighs the direct cost incurred”. Their policy is to “deter shoplifters through active, polite and friendly customer service”.

Shoplifting is not the only problem

However, according to the BRC report, it is not just shoplifting that is affecting the retail sector. Violence and abuse against retail staff is up 40 per cent from last year’s figures and this is a major area of concern.

Shoplifting and potential violence are only two of the issues affecting the retail environment. Over 5 per cent of the losses in the UK, some £36 million of costs were associated with cybercrime. This, according to the British Retail Consortium’s cyber tool kit, was the result of 5.8 million fraud and computer misuse incidents. And when related to cybercrime overall, the Centre for Risk Studies say it represents 4 per cent of all UK cybercrime.

Bridging the cyber, shoplifter gap in retail crime is the insider threat.  In a recent interview with a newly appointed retail store manager, she said, “In every store I have ever worked in there is always a member of staff ‘on the fiddle’, and if you think it isn’t happening, it just means you haven’t caught them yet.”

29 per cent of retailers reported that their business had seen an increase in malicious insider incidents in the past two years.

All respondents suffered theft by employees in 2015-16. Additionally, there was a notable rise in cyber-related criminality at the hands of employees, suppliers, contractors or others with inside access.

Terrorist threat

The final threat to retail security is the terrorist threat. Brought into sharp focus by the 2013 siege in the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, we then had the 2015 siege in the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris. In London, Mohammed Rehman and his wife were arrested for planning an attack on either a London shopping centre or the Tube.

This year there were two arrested for planning an attack on a shopping centre in the German city of Essen and then we had the horrific truck attack along a shopping street in Stockholm before it swerved into Sweden’s largest department store, Åhléns City.

Retail is at the front edge of the terrorist threat.

Philip Ingram

The post Retail security: shoplifting, violence and terrorism appeared first on City Security Magazine.

Every year we are informed that retail crime has once again risen by a significant percentage. The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual retail crime survey for 2016 reports £660m as being the total cost of retail crime, 3.6 million offences, and a 40% increase in violence and abuse against staff over last year’s figure. The last point is particularly disturbing.

Anyone who is aggressive towards retail staff, often young people experiencing their first job experience, should be immediately and unconditionally banned from the store concerned and prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.

One thing that we can be quite sure of is that figures are not fully representative of the true size of the problem. It is only the visible part of the huge iceberg above the water. The true figure will turn out to be considerably more than the total reported.

Turning a blind eye

Many supermarkets will turn a blind eye to the theft of a single bottle of spirits worth £25 – it is simply not worth the paperwork and process required to pursue a case against an individual for such a seemingly small amount. Or is it?

Firstly, it will certainly not be the offender’s first or only crime. He or she will have taken many more bottles of spirits from other shops and stores nearby – and they know that the chances of getting caught are very small.

Secondly, if they are caught, they are aware that punishment will be very minor. No magistrate is going to send someone to prison for the theft of a £25 bottle of spirits. A caution is probably the most likely outcome.

But the result of this acceptance of the loss undoubtebly influences offenders’ attitudes to crime overall. The so called “broken windows” theory evolved in 1982 in the USA. It postulates that a building in a city centre with one or two broken windows will soon have many more broken windows as vandals see that they can get away with smashing more and more and not be caught.

Eventually, squatters may occupy the building and it may even be set on fire by arsonists who see a soft, unprotected target, ripe for exploitation.

Broken windows theory

Police Chief Bill Bratton, who served two terms as New York City Police Commissioner, was heavily influenced by the broken windows theory. Bratton went on to further the idea that by demanding a no-tolerance approach to minor crime such as drunkenness in the streets, anti-social behaviour, minor theft and other petty offences, then crime overall would be reduced. Despite significant criticism of the man and his business linkages, crime figures were significantly reduced year on year whenever and wherever he was serving as chief officer.

Goodness knows what Mr Bratton would make of the scenes of drunkenness and debauchery now played out regularly every Friday and Saturday night in towns and city centres across the UK following the government’s liberalisation of drinking hours.

The BRC report puts the problem back into the lap of police forces and says that police need a new strategy to deal with retail crime.

The police have lost 22,000 officers under the policy of the current government. They face a major increase in the threat from terrorism. They are constantly tasked to examine historical sex crimes dating back over 50 years. Overall reported crime is up by 10%. The theft of a £25 bottle of spirits is, sadly, not going to be high on their agenda.

Responding to retail crime

The answer to retail crime lies firmly in the hands of the retail industry and the security companies who they employ to protect their premises. New surveillance lenses, cameras and recorders now operate at high definition (HD) level – there is no excuse for not recognising or identifying offenders as they enter a shop premises.

Facial recognition is now coming into its own and software analytics can be set to alarm as soon as a known offender steps foot on the premises.

The technology is now there to alter the balance of advantage away from the offender and back to the retailer and to the rule of law. A no-tolerance attitude is needed to arrest and prosecute those found stealing goods. A more visible security presence is needed. In some stores and supermarkets this is immediately visible with a uniformed security officer at the entrance to the store backed up by plain clothes officers inside the premises. Needless to say, crime is far lower in stores if this is the case.

In an age of austerity, industry needs to take more responsibility for its self-protection and invest in the devices, policies and personnel needed to achieve this aim.

Jeff Little, OBE, Chief Executive

Security Expert Online

www.securityexpert.online

The post Broken Windows Theory: the role of retail crime appeared first on City Security Magazine.

The onset of cybercrime is now widely recognised as a major threat to both the economy and national security.

Whilst the National Crime Agency (NCA) has previously acknowledged that ‘the true scale and cost of cybercrime in the UK is unclear at present’, the Office for National Statistics recently estimated that 5.8 million incidents of fraud and computer misuse were experienced by adults in England and Wales in 2015/2016.

It is a serious issue for the UK retail industry, with 94% of those responding to the latest BRC annual crime survey stating that the overall number of cyber breaches is either increasing or remaining the same. Types of online fraud and cybercrime are extremely varied and include ‘phishing’ and Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks.

Impact on retailers

The challenge that retailers face is not limited to financial harm. High profile data breaches, such as those experienced by the major U.S. retailers Target and Home Depot, have shown the reputational damage that can be caused when cyber criminals are successful. Indeed, certain retail industry characteristics may mean that the industry is particularly attractive to hackers and cyber criminals: the increasing volume of personal data that consumers appear willing to share with retailers (and vice versa) is one notable dynamic. The security challenges that arise from the industry’s highly diverse, transnational supply chain, and from an industry characterised by such a large number of employees, are also increasingly well understood.

Retailers also need to adopt ever more sophisticated technological solutions to remain competitive, with innovation introduced at such a speed that it presents challenges for those responsible for ‘designing in’ security measures. The potential implications for security of the dawn of the internet of things, for example, have arguably only just begun to be considered. The promised longer-term benefits that autonomy might bring to an improved customer experience similarly have the potential to challenge retail security practitioners in completely new ways.

Retail cybercrime

Cyber attacks on the retail industry are doubly damaging in that there are two sets of victims in crimes of this nature – both the customers (whose data is hacked) and the retailers themselves. The frequent calls that companies ‘must do more’ to protect their customers, whilst well-intentioned, often fail to recognise that retailers are themselves the victims of what the Director of GCHQ has referred to as ‘industrial scale’ criminality.

It is evident that any effective strategy to tackle cybercrime must be nimble and also involve strong cooperation between industry and the authorities – as ministerial speeches repeatedly insist, neither government nor industry can achieve this on their own.

In short, cooperation between the public authorities and the retail industry is an absolutely core component of UK cyber security.

NCSC

It is against this backdrop that the creation of the UK’s new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), planned for launch in October 2016 and intended as a comprehensive source for industry of advice and managing cyber incidents, should be warmly welcomed. For many years, sectors including the retail industry have actively encouraged the Government to simplify the UK’s cyber security structures, especially those intended for public-private cooperation. Whilst ambitious, the stated aim of the NCSC to become ‘a single point of contact for the private and public sectors alike’ is a promising development.

If the NCSC and other organisations have much to do to strengthen public-private cyber security cooperation in the UK, what should the immediate priorities be? Firstly, all concerned parties should revisit the basis of their partnership arrangements, and seek to develop a strong, mutual understanding of the challenges faced by both the public and private sectors in delivering cyber security today. All too often, not least as a result of their respective resourcing constraints in the present economic climate, industry and the law enforcement community can ‘talk past each other’ in their understandings of what ‘partnership’ means. For the police, there appears to be a focus on encouraging industry do more to protect itself. For many retailers, there is confusion around why it is that so many of the crimes reported seem to attract so little follow-up attention.

Moving forwards

Developing a more honest understanding of the respective capabilities and priorities of both the state and the retail industry in this space will be essential to ensuring that any deficiencies in current engagement can be overcome. In the absence of such a renewed effort, it is unlikely that a realistic, more pragmatic type of cooperation will be able to ensue.

Secondly, there should be a major strengthening of the national framework under development for the reporting of, response to, and recovery from cyber security incidents in the UK. In the view of the retail industry, the new NCSC offers a major opportunity to begin to plot out an improved way of handling major cyber incidents affecting the industry. Aware that the proposed NCSC and the law enforcement community possess different powers, the retail industry would welcome clarity, as an urgent priority, on the interrelationship between the NCSC and the UK policing sector, and how it can work with them. Keen to bring its own resources to bear on the partnership elements of this challenge, it wishes to actively engage the work of the new centre, which clearly presents a unique opportunity to begin to develop a more coordinated approach to public-private cooperation for UK cyber security.

Hugo Rosemont, Crime and Security Policy Adviser, British Retail Consortium (at time of writing)

www.brc.org.uk

The post The challenges of retail cybercrime appeared first on City Security Magazine.