Midcounties Co-operative invests £1m in retail crime prevention
The Midcounties Co-operative is investing £1 million in a raft of new retail crime prevention measures as it looks to protect staff, stores and local communities.
The new initiatives include creating a dedicated ‘Safe Stores’ team and rolling out state-of-the-art technology in shops. Some stores will also see the introduction of new CCTV systems connected to a remote operator who will be able to speak to staff and offenders via the cameras and alert them that the police have been called during an incident.
It will also be introducing roaming guards to increase security at sites and is working with a third-party supplier to develop a crime hub, where in the event of an incident, a report file will automatically be produced for the police.
Rupert Newman, chief retail officer at The Midcounties Co-operative, said: “The safety of our colleagues, customers and members. That’s why we’re making such a significant investment to help prevent crime occurring in our stores and ensure that, when incidents do happen, the perpetrators are held to account.
“By using the latest technology and further deepening our relationships with the Police, we are sending a clear message that we have a zero-tolerance approach to criminal incidents that could affect our colleagues, members, customers and local communities.”
The society will also be trialling panic alarms for staff to alert support in the event of them being involved in an incident. In addition, perimeter alarms will alert operators out of hours if the perimeter of a store is breached.
Midcounties has partnered with Amberstone on the implementation of the measures.
