Protecting your business from robbery
Introduction
These pages are intended to help and advise small retailers on how to reduce the risk of robbery at their premises and, where robberies do occur, to minimise the impact on staff and customers.
Robbery is a term that is commonly misused or not properly understood. Under The Theft Act 1968:
A person is guilty of robbery if he/she: Steals and immediately before or; At the time of doing so, and in order to do so, uses force on any person, or puts or seeks to put any person in fear of being then and there subjected to force. Section 8 (1) of the Theft Act 1968.
For an offence to be categorised as a robbery, a person must have been subject to force or the threat of force.
Because retail premises are classed as a “work place” there is a requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to provide a risk assessment. The purpose of this assessment is to establish and tackle the risk of violence to your staff. These pages will help you identify relevant tools that can assist in developing a risk assessment for your premises.
Fortunately, robbery against retailers in London is relatively rare. However, when it does occur it can have a significant impact, especially on small businesses. Robbery can affect staff and customers through physical and psychological injury. Furthermore, the financial cost can be substantial due to: premises being closed for the investigation of the offence; staff on long term sick leave requiring the recruitment of temporary staff; damage caused by the offenders and the loss in stock or cash.
A concern of many retailers is that the introduction of any security system is going to be expensive. Whilst it is true that there may need to be an investment in security equipment, having good, well thought out and robust security policies and procedures in place is a very effective and achievable starting point.
On these pages you will be given the opportunity to identify areas where, perhaps, your premises and staff are vulnerable to the risk of robbery. Once you have identified the areas of risk these pages also contain recommendations for reducing that risk. Good security normally comprises a number of factors;
- A risk assessment based on fact.
- Effective security policies and procedures to reduce the risk.
- Appropriate security equipment commensurate with the identified risk.
- Efficient, courteous, well trained staff.
Business Crime Prevention Advice
Links are provided to sites that have more detailed information and in some instances tools to assist with improving your security. Although primarily aimed at reducing incidents of robbery, many of the recommendations on these pages will assist in reducing other offences. Don’t be daunted by the prospect of improving your security; much of it is common sense and you may find that you already have many of the recommendations in place.