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Retail crime experts outlined the latest techniques being used by shoplifters at a special intelligence briefing for Stirling’s business community.
Shop owners were shown CCTV footage of a criminal gang working together to steal high-value clothing and given advice on the kinds of disguises used by shoplifters and the enterprising props they employ to conceal stolen goods.
The information was revealed at a crime intelligence briefing hosted by Go Forth Stirling BID and Retailers Against Crime (RAC) aimed at tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
Crime prevention experts also shared details of the crime-fighting SentrySIS tool, which is available free to all Stirling BID (Business Improvement District) levy-paying members, and features real-time alerts about offenders, thefts and other incidents happening in the city.
RAC Intelligence Co-ordinator Natasa Wilson emphasised the importance of partnership working and information sharing and described a recent example where the manager of a Stirling retail store reported details of a theft and CCTV images of the offenders to the SentrySIS (Secure Intelligence System) platform.
After viewing the images and information, another company’s security staff were able to provide further images of the offenders, including the car they used, which gave the retailer more intelligence to pass on when reporting the incident to the police.
Ms Wilson said: “This example shows just how effective the system can be when members communicate with each other and help provide as much information as possible to give to the police in a report.”
She also highlighted the current MOs (modus operandi) used by criminals to conceal stock and how they will often change their appearance – sometimes to try and distract a shop assistant while another offender steals goods.
She said: “Our Retail Crime Techniques booklet can help make people aware of the current tactics offenders are using. They come up with lots of different methods with theft by distraction the main measure.”
Ms Wilson presented CCTV footage of a criminal team which demonstrated how one offender may distract a shop assistant while another steals merchandise and a third hides them from view in a premeditated and quickly executed plan.
She said: “There are many criminal teams working together where each person has their own job which they have rehearsed. They know exactly what they are doing and where each person is going to go and are very sophisticated in the way they operate. So be aware it may not be just one person stealing as they often work in groups.”
The briefing also heard how RAC provides monthly statistics based on the information provided by members through SentrySIS. The figures highlight how violent incidents are on the rise with 81 reported during August – an increase of 8% from July. Meanwhile, overall reported incidents totalled 1035 – up 9% on the previous month.
There was a month on month increase in losses suffered by members which stood at £91K – a rise of 11%. There was also an increase in the number of unknown suspects identified during August which rose by 10% to 210.
Go Forth Stirling Project Director Danielle McRorie-Smith encouraged more business owners to use SentrySIS to report crime, receive alerts about criminal activity and create evidence logs to help police detect offences.
She said: “Stirling is not unlike any other city centre when it comes to anti-social behaviour and if we want additional resources we need to make sure we report what’s happening.
“Unlike many other cities, we are fortunate to have the SentrySIS system available to us and it’s extremely easy to use on a mobile phone. I would encourage as many people as possible to use it and to make sure any intelligence goes into the system so we can be proactive and improve the trading environment for everyone. We have a lot of opportunity to make the situation better.”
The crime intelligence briefing was the second of three meetings hosted by the BID and RAC at the Golden Lion Hotel to support business owners and the challenges they face due to the scourge of retail crime.
Go Forth’s Community Engagement and Business Improvement Officer Fiona McMillan encouraged business owners to come along to the final briefing in the series on Tuesday November 18.
She said: “We are looking to continue a constructive conversation with our businesses and the representatives from Stirling Council and Police Scotland who have been attending the briefings, so we can look for positive solutions for Stirling together.
“We’d also like to see more businesses take up the offer of utilising SentrySIS because the more people who use it and the more information reported into the system, the more we will all benefit from it.
“And in addition to retail crime, issues such as anti-social behaviour, verbal abuse and street drinking can also be reported via the platform.”
BID levy-payers who want to try out the SentrySIS tool can request more information by contacting admin@goforthstirling.co.uk
Businesses who are not levy payers and who would like to access SentrySIS should also get in touch to discuss a voluntary BID membership.
Stirling-based Retailers Against Crime is a national retail crime partnership, established in 1997, which aims to detect and prevent crime by sharing information on local and travelling offenders with members and partners throughout the UK. More information is available on their website – www.retailersagainstcrime.org
Go Forth Stirling is the city’s BID representing more than 600 business owners with a key objective of increasing visitors to the city and devising initiatives to help make it a more welcoming destination for businesses and shoppers. For more information visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk
