Three approaches to deterring shoplifters and anti-social behaviour

One of the hardest parts of running a retail store, apart from cutting retail costs and ensuring that your store is remaining competitive in such a precarious world, is guaranteeing your business rises to numerous challenges.

Retailers deal with some of the most visceral criminal aspects in the high street, such as anti-social behaviour. But what can we do to ensure that anti-social behaviours, violence, and shoplifting are greatly reduced?

A robust approach to security

The one big lesson we learnt from numerous attacks on our storefront over the years is that we've got to put our money where our mouth is.

So many people, upon discovering that their shop has been subject to vandalism, grin and bear it and spend more time repainting the storefront to remove graffiti or invest in cleaning products and glass scratch remover to remove the aesthetic issues.

But for many people, especially those that operate small stores, the “grin and bear it” approach means that they are opening themselves up for a repeat offence. It's vital to incorporate a robust approach to security.

It's not just about using security cameras and equipment, but it's also about utilising the relevant knowledge to acquire the right resources to send the right message.

Many shop owners will say that they “always prosecute thieves.” And while many people believe this could be a draconian method, it's certainly the right message to send to anybody that's considering any form of anti-social behaviour with regards to their store.

Incorporate extra training

It's been shown that the “nosey sales assistant” approach is a stronger deterrent to thieves than CCTV. The important thing when incorporating this is to give the staff member the confidence and assertion to deal with a situation like this effectively.

It can be a scary time for any individual out there, especially with the abundance of knife crime, but it's important to offer staff and managers the resources so they can respond to potential conflicts in the right way.

Incorporating a wide variety of soft skills can allow a store assistant the opportunity to gauge a situation. If an individual is looking to steal a small item, the potential to defuse the situation before it escalates is a useful skill. 

Extra technology

Technology is making leaps and bounds. And the great benefit of this is that it can reduce staff exposure to conflict. It's not just about property tagging systems or remote monitoring technology, but it's a boon for the lone worker.

Using a body won't device to trigger central station recording or monitoring will provide reassurance for an individual working by themselves. Body cameras are becoming more widespread too, and this can help a store worker to feel better in the situation, but also give them the opportunity to record the situation to help prosecute the individual. 

Anti-social behaviour is not something that will disappear anytime soon, but deterring it has made significant developments over the years. From the humble security camera to additional soft skills, there are many ways to help the humble retail store.