2024’s retail security statistics show a drastic increase in retail crime across the industry. This indicates that retail security is failing – there are obvious gaps in loss prevention strategies today.
In this article, Titan Security Europe outline the key security issues facing the retail industry, how retailers can identify the gaps in their loss prevention strategy, and actions that can be taken to close these gaps.
Statistics
According to the ACS’ 2024 Retail Crime Report:
- Over 600 incidents of retail theft occurred per hour in 2024.
- There was an 85% increase in violence against retail staff from 2023 to 2024 – increasing from 41,000 to 76,000 incidents.
- 87% of retail staff reported facing verbal abuse throughout 2024.
- 78% of retailers agree that organised crime is becoming more and more prevalent.
These statistics are UK-based, but representative of a global problem. The staggering increase in incidents is a clear indication of gaps in retail loss prevention strategies.
To improve retail security, the first step is to identify the gaps in your existing loss prevention strategy.
Identifying the gaps
You will be able to identify the gaps in your retail loss prevention strategies by answering these questions:
Do you have a security floor plan for your store?
A security oriented floor plan will help you to identify weak points within your store. Floor plans should include:
- Indications of locations of CCTV cameras.
- Details of when CCTV cameras rotate, if yours do so.
- Where CCTV blind spots in your store are.
- Indications of where most thefts or acts of violence occur within the store.
- Indications of where the highest risk stock (such as alcohol) is held within the store.
This plan should be used as a first point of identifying risks in store and gaps in your system, and should be updated frequently through collection of security incident data.
Do you have a holistic and integrated security system in place?
Take a look at the security you have in place. Do you have:
- CCTV?
- Guards?
- Panic alarms?
- Theft detection alarms?
If you are lacking one or more of these – that may be where your security is falling short. However, if you have multiple of the above and still are experiencing issues with theft and violence, the issue is most likely that you are not using them together in the most effective way possible.
Are your staff aware of your expectations of them?
The biggest reason for violence against retail employees is the approaching of suspected thieves. It is therefore advised that retail employees should not be the ones to approach suspects.
Making staff aware of your expectations of them in the events of theft or violence is crucial. Hold a meeting with your staff wherein you walk them through what you want them to do in these events; leave posters in staff areas reminding them of the protocol.
Do you have a reliable method of data capture for incidents?
All retail stores should have a digital portal and physical folder in which to record security incidents that occur on a day-to-day basis. By keeping a solid record of incidents, you can adjust and amend your security protocol as necessary.
If for example your records show that one specific area of your store is being constantly targeted, put a security guard in that area, or install additional CCTV.
Following these questions will allow you to identify the gaps in your security system – and now you can work to close them.
Closing the gaps
What you need to do to close the gaps in your retail loss prevention strategy will depend on the risks you have identified that are not being addressed adequately.
Consider adding a new security protocol
Key security features for retail security include:
CCTV Monitoring
CCTV acts as deterrent, data capture and a way for security personnel or store staff to monitor the whole store.
According to the College of Policing, CCTV installation decreases retail crime on average by 13%.
CCTV installation costs from £350, to £2000 or more– though this is worth the investment, as better quality footage leads to easier identification of perpetrators.
CCTV aims to deter crime by:
- Increasing potential offender’s awareness to the risk of being caught in the act.
- Increasing the chance of catching offenders in the act.
- Allowing stores to identify risk areas within the store.
- Allowing for effective deployment of security personnel to deal with incidents.
- Reducing opportunity for criminals.
CCTV’s downside is it does not prevent all crime from occurring, and is less effective on its own.
Security guards
Security guards cause sharp decreases in retail theft and violence. Some stores report drops of up to 75% in shoplifting since employing security guards.
Security guards deter crime by:
- Presenting your store with a visible security presence that can deter criminals.
- Keeping constant surveillance on the store, including CCTV blind spots and the ability to see faces of criminals, not just blurry images.
- Providing access control.
- Communicating with authorities, security companies and staff of the store.
- Providing conflict resolution and de-escalation in cases where a customer is becoming violent or threatening towards a member of staff.
Security guards are one of the most effective security systems that retail can implement; but be extremely costly and may not fit into a security budget.
The cost of security guards ranges dependant on multiple factors, though most guards are charged at an hourly rate per guard.
Panic alarms
Panic alarms are most beneficial for stores that do not require constant guarding, or stores with a lesser security budget.
Installation costs only around £600 and following this you will only be charged for a dispatch of guards.
Panic alarms can be connected to a security partner, with a one-off charge per dispatch – working out cheaper than an hourly rate to have a guard on site.
Panic alarms successfully aid in the deterrence and prevention of crime by:
- Allowing staff to “call for help” without alerting potential perpetrators of crime.
- Alerting security teams to incidents within stores, allowing for immediate dispatch.
- Preventing staff from approaching thieves themselves, decreasing risk of them being attacked by thieves.
- Giving staff and employees peace of mind that they can receive immediate help when needed.
If you are missing one of these features, that may be one of the gaps in your security protocol. Consider adding what you’re missing to see if this makes any difference.
Amend existing security protocol to maximise effectivity
If you are using all the security features you have budget, availability and need for and are still facing issues, you may need to make slight amendments to how they are used in order to increase effectivity.
CCTV monitoring
If your CCTV monitoring seems to be ineffective, consider the following:
- Constant real-time monitoring of CCTV, either from in-house or by a security partner. This allows for theft and incidents of violence to be caught in real time instead of after the fact – it becomes a tool to prevent theft rather than one to deal with the aftermath.
- Overly advertising the use of CCTV monitoring within your store. It is a legal requirement to inform customers that they are being watched anyway, but the more obvious you make it, the less likely customers are to attempt theft or be threatening towards staff.
- Having CCTV monitors in back of house areas and behind till points. This allows staff to keep an eye on the entirety of the store even when on the till or in back of house, allowing for greater monitoring of CCTV.
Security guards
If on-site security guards still do not seem to be enough to protect your store and staff, the issue often lies within communication.
- Talk to your guards. Ensure that they know exactly what you expect of them. In our experience, some clients want guards to apprehend and detain thieves or violent persons until the authorities arrive. Others want the guards to allow thieves to go and to remove violent persons from the premises and to write up and incident report to hand over to the authorities. You will have your own wants – ensure your guards know what they are.
- Further to ensuring that your guards are aware of the policies and what is expected of them – make sure that your staff are aware too. Make them aware that they are not to approach thieves themselves and should instead inform a guard if they suspect someone of theft.
- Include your guards in your security planning. This will ensure they are aware of protocols.
Panic alarms
To maximise the effectiveness of panic alarms:
- Run monthly checks to ensure that the panic alarms work. Be sure to arrange this with your security partner, so that they know it is not a call-out but a test.
- Ensure that staff know when and how to use the alarms, as well as where they are throughout the store.
- Place them at till points, in back of house, and at the front of stores.
- Consider giving staff members their own personal alarms that they can activate from anywhere on the shop floor.
Ensure your security focuses on the right concerns
From your identification of the gaps in your security strategy, you should be aware as to whether your main issue lies within theft or violence.
If your main issue is theft, then any CCTV monitoring, guarding or alarm use should be aimed towards loss prevention. Guards should be keeping an eye on all customers in the store, CCTV or guards should be placed in blind spot areas, and theft prevention alarms should be in place.
If your main issue is staff safety, then this is what your CCTV monitoring, guards and panic alarms should work to support. Guards should be keeping an eye on customers around staff, , removing drunk or disorderly customers, and so on. Panic alarms should be activated at the first sign of trouble.
Staff training
You will only completely close the gaps in your security strategy if you train up your staff on the protocol.
Staff must know:
- Your key security concerns.
- Your expectations of them – tfor example, that your staff should not be the ones approaching thieves.
- Where panic alarms are and how and when to activate them.
- How to work the CCTV monitor – how to rewind and capture data from it.
- The exact protocol to undertake in events of theft and violence, as per your store’s security protocol.
By following these steps to identifying and closing the gaps in your existing security protocol, you can be sure that you are doing your very best to keep your store and staff safe. If all retail stores work to close the gaps within their own loss prevention strategy, we will see a drop in retail crime through 2025 compared with 2024.
