Campaign sets sights on cash security grants

MEGAN HUMPHREY

RETAIL Express and the Fed are calling on candidates in the upcoming UK election to help secure grants to invest in security measures to counter crime.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Fed deputy vice-president Mo Razzaq; Hussan Lal, owner of Park Licence Grocer in Paisley; and public affairs advisor Seonag MacKinnon.

At the trade groups’ annual conference last month, members voted in favour of calls for the group to negotiate with the UK and devolved governments about providing �inancial assistance for retailers to improve their security systems.

Speakers at the event argued quality CCTV would protect business owners and staff, enhance community safety and provide police with clear evidence for prosecutions.

Razzaq told Retail Express the plan is to target candidates running in the UK elections next year, asking them to pledge their support to prioritising retail crime and lobbying for funding for local shops.

“We are compiling the candidates up for election, and we intend to start approaching them during the summer,” he said. “We have a real chance of putting forward a case to help independent retailers and we need everyone’s support to make this happen.”

Lal stressed the likelihood of success of the campaign will be greater with the help of other retailers. “We want retailers to reach out to candidates, too, because without them, we won’t be able to achieve what we want,” he said.

The ACS published its most recent report detailing the true scale of crime across the independent sector last month, reinforcing the need for better protection for stores.

Crime is costing £125m to the sector, and, as a result, is leaving each store £2,574 worse off. Over the last year, 1.1 million incidents of shop theft took place, with 63% being carried out by repeat offenders. Out of those, 41,000 were constituted as violent, with 13% leaving those af- fected injured.

A quarter of retail colleagues claim violence has increased over the past 12 months, with one-third of shoppers more anxious when they shop. As a result, £228m was invested in crime prevention across the sector, with each store spending, on average, £4,698 in the past year.

“We know it is getting worse, and that’s why funding to help retailers to protect themselves is vital,” said Lal. “We are taking this very seriously.”

Two years ago, Retail Express was successful in lobbying the government to issue cash to small shops to help them better protect themselves.

Grants of up to £550,000 were provided to police and crime commissioners in England and Wales, under the Safer Streets Fund, to improve security in areas affected by crimes, such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

However, Scotland missed out, and as Lal suggests, the funding needs to be more speci�ic to directly help independents.

“We need to make sure any grants can be used speci�ically for security measures inside stores, as well as outside, as this is where the incidents tend to occur,” he explained.

The campaign launch comes a month after the minister for crime, policing and �ire, Chris Philip, launched a new working group, known as ‘Pegasus’, to crack down on organised crime affecting retail.

The group is being led by Sussex police and crime commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne, who has been praised for her commit- ment to putting retail crime on the agenda of police forces across the UK in recent years.

She told Retail Express a “�irst of its kind” taskforce will be working by the autumn, speci�ically dealing with organised crime within the retail sector, with the goal of sharing intelligence and reducing the level of incidents on a national scale.

Asked how this will affect independent retailers, Bourne said: “Eventually, we hope to get trade groups and other organisations �ighting crime on board, which will eventually �ilter itself down to a local level.

“This isn’t going to be a quick �ix. It’s all about getting retailers and the police talking to start with. I’ve seen how important this can be in smaller towns and it’s something I intend to continue prioritising.”

How are you saving time and cutting costs in your business?

“YOU need to be doing price and cost comparisons at every stage. I was looking at installing another food-togo machine, but after looking at every manufacturer, I decided to use that space to expand my stationary range instead. You have to work how productive an area is, how much it’s costing you and how much it’s giving you.”

Bobby Singh, BB Nevison Superstore, Pontefract, West Yorkshire

“WE use headsets for staff to speed up communication. It’s so valuable. If a customer comes in and asks for something, you don’t have to ring a bell or run off to find it, you can just tell another member of staff immediately, they’ll go and get it, and you can continue to serve the customer. For the cost of a couple of thousand pounds, you save on one whole person’s labour throughout a year. That’s a negligible outlay in the long term.”

Rav

Garcha, Nisa Local Shrewsbury, Shropshire

“WE’VE stopped doing stock takes and now do ‘gap checks’ with two handsets connected to the head office and an automated ordering system. The handset scans to check the stock level is right. If it’s low or a gap, staff scan the electronic shelf-edge label to see storeroom stock levels, and if low, it’s added to their next order. My availability is better because gaps are spotted faster.”

Enya McAteer, Mulkerns Spar Jonesborough, Newry, County Antrim

Call 020 7689 3357 or email megan.humphrey@newtrade.co.uk

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