Poundland cracks down on in-store crime with new campaign
Discount retailer Poundland is launching an initiative which aims to reduce thefts and attacks on staff after it reported a significant growth in crime within its stores over the last 18 months.
Poundland announced the investment after the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual survey revealed that the amount lost to shoplifting in the UK over the latest year was the highest ever recorded.
The number of incidents against staff rose by 50 per cent to 1,300 per day in the year to September 2023, from 870 the year before.
About 8,800 of the total across the year resulted in injury, the survey said.
Poundland’s investment in security at its 800-plus store estate will include issuing staff with headsets so they can communicate quickly to stop criminals.
A spokesman said: “The value retailer is working in close collaboration with police forces, including support from undercover officers.
“It is employing significantly more undercover guards in its stores and intends to send a clear message to thieves; they will be caught, they will be reported and they will be prosecuted.”
“Before Christmas a prolific shoplifter who targeted Poundland as well as other retailers in Gloucestershire was charged with trespassing and burglary and received an 18-month custodial sentence.”
As part of its “Against Retail Crime” initiative, the retailer is also now rolling out Motorola Solutions VT100 body cameras to scores of stores with the most significant crime problems, following a successful trial across its estate.
The spokesman said: “The cameras, which provide a visual deterrent for offenders as well as recording incidents, have driven an 11 per cent decrease in violence against colleagues, alongside a marked reduction in shoplifting and theft.”
“As a high-street focused and value-led retailer, Poundland has been a particular target of theft and abuse which is why the retailer is making its biggest-ever investment in cracking down on crime.”
Poundland’s head of loss prevention Christina Jesty said: “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.
“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.”
Speaking last year, Helen Dickinson, the BRC’s chief executive, said: “Despite retailers investing huge sums in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is climbing. With over 1,300 incidents every day, government can no longer ignore the plight of ordinary, hardworking retail colleagues. Criminals are being given a free pass to steal goods and to abuse and assault retail colleagues. No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety.”