Midcounties Co-op announces £1million investment for crime prevention

The Midcounties Co-operative has announced a £1 million investment in crime prevention measures for its food stores.

The consumer co-operative said it will unveil a range of new measures and systems to deter retail crime as part of its ongoing commitment to protect its colleagues, stores and local communities.

The measures include creating a dedicated Safe Stores team within the society, and rolling out state-of-the-art technology in stores. A number of stores will also see the introduction of new CCTV systems connected to a remote operator who will be able to speak to colleagues and offenders via the cameras and alert them that the police have been called during an incident.

The retailer will also introduce roaming guards to increase security at sites and are working with a third-party supplier to develop a crime hub, whereby in the event of an incident a report file will automatically be produced for the police, helping to streamline the reporting process.

“The safety of our colleagues, customers and members. That’s why we’re making such a significant investment to help prevent crime occurring in our stores and ensure that, when incidents do happen, the perpetrators are held to account,” Rupert Newman, chief retail officer at the Midcounties Co-operative, said.

“By using the latest technology and further deepening our relationships with the police, we are sending a clear message that we have a zero-tolerance approach to criminal incidents that could affect our colleagues, members, customers and local communities.”

As part of the initiative, the independent co-operative will also be trialling a number of additional measures, including the introduction of additional panic alarms for colleagues to alert support in the event of them being involved in an incident, perimeter alarms that will alert operators out of hours if the perimeter of a store is breached.

Midcounties has partnered with Amberstone, one of Europe’s leading security suppliers, to implement the new measures.

The retailer is investing more than £4 million this year in opening eight new Your Co-op Food stores throughout 2022.