Poundland is set to make a significant change to its stores with the launch of a new campaign aimed at combating shoplifting.
The discounter announced today the start of its “Against Retail Crime” initiative, which forms part of its ongoing commitment to tackle the rise in shop theft and the abuse and harassment faced by retail staff. The move will bolster security across its 800 UK stores.
As a key feature of the initiative, store employees will be equipped with communication headsets to swiftly alert colleagues about incidents. Following a successful trial, Poundland is also deploying Motorola Solutions VT100 body cameras to stores most affected by crime.
The budget firm has explained these cameras provide a visual deterrent and will record occurring offences. So far, they are said to have helped contribute to an 11 per cent reduction in violence against staff and a “marked reduction” in shoplifting and theft.
Furthermore, Poundland is empowering its contracted security personnel to detain suspects on the premises and plans to increase the number of undercover guards. The retailer is collaborating closely with local law enforcement and police forces, benefiting from support by undercover officers and sharing CCTV footage to assist in prosecutions, reports the Mirror.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) highlighted in its latest Crime Survey that incidents of violence and abuse against UK shop workers have surged by 50 per cent from the previous year, now reaching 1,300 daily occurrences.
Poundland’s head of loss prevention Christina Jesty spoke out: “The rate of store theft and colleague abuse has accelerated significantly across our stores in the last 18 months, and this has been very challenging for our people. Whether it’s store theft undermining all our colleagues’ hard work, or incidents of violence and abuse making our colleagues feel unsafe at work, something must change.”
She further added: “At Poundland, we pride ourselves on being a value-led high street retailer, where protecting our colleagues goes hand in hand with protecting our prices. That is why we’re saying enough is enough and beginning a campaign to support our front-line teams and crack down on retail crime across our stores.”
Get the latest money news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our Record Money newsletter.