The police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) is urging retailers to make full use of the crime prevention and training resource available for free via their website to help support shop workers during the busy festive season.
With the most recent crime survey from the BRC showing incidents of abuse and violence towards shopworkers have risen to 1,300 a day, the lead up to Christmas can be extremely challenging for those working in retail.
The NBCC has designed a series of training videos for those working in the retail sector to help them deal with difficult situations and customers and to provide practical steps they can take to stay safe and de-escalate a potential flash point.
The videos cover four key areas: personal safety and de-escalation, saying no - refusing service, deterring and interacting with thieves, and handling disruptive behaviour. Each video is no more than four minutes long and provides tactics and strategies which any retail worker can use.
They can be viewed and downloaded here: Shopworker Videos
“We know what a difficult time the run up to Christmas can be for those working in retail. Long queues and crowded shops can lead to tempers fraying and provide more opportunities for shop thefts. The NBCC has developed easy-to-use support for retailers and their staff to help keep staff safe and reduce the potential for shop thefts. We hope that the easy to digest training videos can give shop workers a bit more confidence and support during a very busy time,” Supt Patrick Holdaway, NBCC lead, said.
Retailers can also access a comprehensive employer framework aimed at preventing violence and abuse within retails retail settings.
The ‘Framework for Employers’ brings together existing good practice within the sector and presents it as a comprehensive, simple step by step process that can be implemented by retailers to demonstrate how they will support their employers to prevent violence and abuse in retail settings.
It includes a post-incident support process which highlights the practical steps employers should be taking to support retail workers after an incident of violence and abuse occurs, for example, their responsibility to ensure incidents are reported, risks are analysed and appropriate support systems are put in place.
If a crime is committed then it is essential to report it to police and capture any digital evidence such as CCTV. The NBCC have worked with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police forces to develop a standard witness statement which retailers can use when submitting CCTV evidence to the police using a Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS). Retailers can access it here.
When reporting a crime to the police it is important that key information is conveyed calmly and accurately to the operator so that they can assess the information and decide on the appropriate response. The information provided to the operator is important in assessing the threat, harm and risk enabling the police to decide on how best to respond. The NBCC has developed a comprehensive guide for retailers and shopworkers on what you need to tell police when reporting a crime and when to dial 999.
“Undoubtedly crimes will take place, and when they do, we want retailers to report the crime and know how to get the digital evidence to the police in the fastest way possible and how to support and care for employees who may have been impacted emotionally or physically by abuse or violence towards them,” Holdaway added.
The NBCC has a dedicated section on the website for Shopworker Safety.
