How to protect your staff and business

Last week McColl’s Retail Group were fined £150,000 and ordered to pay £78,000 costs for failing to protect staff members following a series of shop robberies in Wirral.

The report in the Liverpool Echo catalogues the series of crimes that happened at the 6 McColl’s stores.

The reported comment of Judge Morrow about the failure of the company to react to the cries for help from their employees is something the rest of our industry needs to take note of. Owners and employers need to review their risk assessments on a regular basis.

Crime against retailers and their employees has become an everyday occurrence. If you search #retailcrime on Twitter you will find a long list of crimes highlighted.

But what can you do to protect your employees and business? This court case indicates that doing nothing, because it’s never happened to you, is not a sound policy. Here are some suggestions:

1. Talk to your employees about their concerns and get them involved in your review.
2. Talk to your neighbouring retailers and ensure that you have a system for sharing knowledge and concerns (such as setting up a Neighbourhood Watch).
3. Phone the NFRN Helpline and get their best practice advice.
4. Invite your local Police Crime Prevention Officer to your store to get their guidance about how you can protect your staff.
5. Check out our previous coverage on crime and security.