The escalation of retail crime
As reported by the Irish Times "Shoplifting has reached ‘pandemic levels’ with staff regularly facing violence," shoplifting incidents have surged by 14% last year. However, many more incidents go unreported, as revealed by retail groups during a session with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment.
Shop owners grapple with a daily onslaught of crime, fraud, abuse, and theft within their establishments. Serial shoplifters and unruly groups of youths, seemingly immune to consequences, create an environment where offenses are not taken seriously by law enforcement or the courts. Frustration mounts as retailers invest time in building cases against shoplifters, only to see minimal repercussions, such as the granting of the Probation Act or release on bail.
Global concerns over rising theft and crimes
The global retail landscape has witnessed a troubling surge in thefts and other crimes in recent years. This has translated into an increase in inventory shrink, often resulting from theft, posing a significant challenge for numerous businesses. Several international retailers have cited elevated shrink as a key factor behind adjusting profit expectations and reporting lower margins in recent earnings announcements.
Challenges arising from economic turbulence
A combination of factors contributes to the challenges faced by retailers. Economic turbulence, in particular, correlates with a rise in thefts. This economic strain leads to global inflation, increasing purchasing costs for retailers and burdening consumers with higher prices. Additionally, staffing shortages in retail outlets compound the difficulties by hampering surveillance, delaying responses to security incidents, affecting customer service, increasing employee stress, and creating a more vulnerable retail environment.
A tailored approach: Embracing modern retail security solutions
Faced with these unique challenges, retailers are exploring a spectrum of products, services, and solutions to bolster their security measures. Whether it's a local store, a bustling mall, or an upscale boutique, retailers are seeking customised security solutions that cater to their specific needs.
The key lies in adopting a proactive approach to security. Rather than merely reacting to incidents, retailers should prioritize real-time monitoring. A comprehensive strategy that integrates remote, electronic and mobile security services enables quicker identification and response to theft and other security threats.
Securitas Ireland is a global security solutions provider, and they offer a range of solutions that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the retail industry. We’ll work with you to design, build and maintain a cutting-edge security system tailored to your store’s individual needs so you can focus on what matters most - running a successful and safe business.
Here are some security solutions that Securitas Ireland can provide to enhance the safety and security of retail businesses:
Electronic security systems:
- Install and maintain CCTV cameras to monitor critical areas, entrances, and exits.
- Implement intrusion detection systems.
- Utilise video analytics for advanced threat detection and prevention.
Access control systems:
- Implement access control systems to restrict entry to authorised personnel only.
- Integrate biometric systems or key card access for secure employee access.
- Monitor and log entry and exit data for audit and analysis purposes.
Alarm response services:
- Provide rapid response services to alarm activations, minimising potential losses.
- Use mobile patrols to enhance response times and coverage.
Retail analytics and intelligence:
- Utilise data analytics to identify patterns and trends related to theft or suspicious activities.
- Implement intelligent surveillance solutions to analyse customer behaviour and identify potential threats.
Retail store escort services:
- Offer security personnel to accompany employees during opening and closing hours.
- Provide secure escort services for the transportation of valuable goods.
SentriGuard® key management solution:
- Addressing unique challenges in the retail landscape, SentriGuard® provides a comprehensive and secure keyholding solution ensuring confidence and peace of mind.
- Features such as alarm response, contractor access, lost keys, out-of-hours deliveries, staff safety, instore secure locations, and emergency access for staff contribute to an efficient and secure retail environment.
Camect AI for crime prevention and monitoring: Camect AI can offer several benefits for retail businesses by leveraging its advanced video analytics and surveillance capabilities:
- Real-time monitoring: Camect AI provides real-time monitoring of store activities, helping to prevent theft and reduce losses.
- Reduces false alarms: Advanced video analysis helps Camect differentiate between true security threats and false alarms caused by irrelevant motion or environmental changes. This can significantly reduce the number of false alerts, allowing users to focus on genuine security concerns.
- True continuous recording: Competitors offering “24/7 recording” only record when there is motion and may miss important events unless a very expensive continuous recording plan is purchased.
- Integration with existing systems: Camect is designed to integrate with various existing surveillance camera systems, making it a versatile solution for upgrading and enhancing the capabilities of current security infrastructure.
- Learns from you: gets smarter when you choose to share feedback on videos. Providing video examples helps it learn, making it more accurate over time.
- Detects exactly the alerts you're looking for: as it records, it applies sophisticated deep learning AI to determine what's interesting to you.
- Cost-effective: By reducing false alarms and improving the efficiency of surveillance operations, Camect can potentially lead to cost savings in terms of both time and resources.
- Remote monitoring: With the capability to connect to the internet, Camect allows for remote monitoring of surveillance cameras. Users can access live feeds and recorded footage from anywhere with an internet connection, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness.
- Private: Camect servers have no access to customer video.
These solutions can be customized based on the specific needs and challenges of each retail business.
Given the dynamic nature of the retail industry, combining people and technology-driven security measures has never been more essential.
As the demands for retail security evolve, Securitas remains dedicated to staying ahead and safeguarding what matters most to retailers, ensuring a secure future for all.
