The convenience sector is a prime target for crime. The Association of Convenience Store's (ACS) 2022 Crime Report states that crime costs the industry £100 million a year, and 25% of retailers have reported experiencing violence during trading hours. It's so common that ACS have a campaign endorsed by the Home Office called #ShopKind to decrease violence towards shop workers.
Investing in security equipment, such as security screens and counters, can act as a deterrent for criminals and avoid damage and repeated attacks on stores.
Different Types of Physical Damage
According to research, there are several inherent vulnerabilities in convenience store layout and design that criminals may take advantage of in order to access checkouts and cash, namely:
Building Exterior
Exterior damage to closed stores has become fairly common. Criminals will secure a point of entry by smashing closed windows or breaking door locks. This could lead to additional damage to signage, walls and window frames that not only need to be repaired at an additional cost but leave a location vulnerable to further attacks.
Internal Equipment
When attacks take place within a store, equipment damage is another cause of concern. Robbers may damage point-of-sale equipment as they attempt to access cash registers, cash deposit boxes, or self-service checkout points. Most criminals want to enter and exit the store as quickly as possible, damaging shelves, flooring, machinery and shutters in the process.
How a Store Closure Impacts Your Bottom Line
The cost of broken window panes, damaged doors and cash points and internal fixtures are not the only losses a convenience store has to contend with. Once a store has been damaged in an attack, there are often secondary financial losses as the store has to close temporarily to repair and restock. Staff need to be paid, regardless of whether they are working or not, adding the cost of wages to the cost of lost potential revenue. Minor incidents can compound losses significantly.
How To Improve Convenience Store Security
There are several effective deterrents to crime that a convenience store can adopt. Bright lighting, CCTV, alarms, visible signage and physical barriers between high-value goods and the cash register can deter criminals from attempting a robbery, to begin with.
Security Screens and Counters
Specially designed security screens offer staff protection, giving them peace of mind while working. Security screens resist breaking and pressure, protecting colleagues and stores from manual attacks.
There are various screens and counters that can be adapted according to store layout, in various sizes. The essential factor is that the tills and staff are protected from the public and criminals.
Security screens are more comprehensive than the covid-19 protection screens available in shops due to the pandemic; they're made to protect the store from ballistic and manual attacks and are built to last.
CCTV and Alarms
Having cameras and signs letting customers know they are being recorded is an excellent visual deterrent against crime. It reminds shoppers that their actions are being filmed and can be used against them in a police investigation. Sometimes for small-time criminals, this is enough to prevent a crime.
Staff Training
An essential aspect of convenience store security is ensuring staff are appropriately trained and can operate all the security equipment. Staff should be trained to use various security equipment and tactics, and should avoid confrontation with customers if possible.
How Safetell Can Protect Convenient Stores
Safetell provides high-quality physical security equipment that has protected convenience stores from criminals for more than thirty years - from security screens and counters created with convenience stores in mind to automatic doors, security walling and partitioning, and bulk transfer units for handling lots of cash.
Contact Safetell to discuss your security requirements, outline your current measures and examine professional security solutions.
In Summary
Convenience store attacks can lead to physical damage to the exterior building as well as interior fixtures as criminals rush to make their way into (and out of) the building as quickly as possible. This can lead to costly repairs, costly store closures, lost revenue and time-consuming insurance claims that impact profitability in the short and longer term.
Investing in security screens and counters is the most affordable deterrent against attacks and minimises the damage if an attack or burglary is carried out.
