Poundland Invests in High-Tech Security After £44m Stock Loss Amid Rising Retail Crime

Budget retailer Poundland has announced plans to beef up its security measures following the loss of over £40 million worth of stock last year.

The company has not revealed how much it will be spending on security, but did say that it would be recruiting additional undercover security guards as well as investing in security equipment.

Trial Reduces Theft And Violence

Following a trial, staff at Poundland will be equipped with body cameras and communication headsets, facilitating greater communication when incidents occur.

Poundland said that it's trial had proven effective in reducing incidents of shoplifting, and also claimed an 11% drop in violence against staff, thanks to the new measures.

The company said that in the last 18 months incidents of stealing and aggression towards staff had 'accelerated significantly'. Poundland's owner, Pepco reported the loss of £44 million (52 million euros) worth of stock in the last 12 months, although not all of this can be attributed to theft.

Crime Returning To Pre-Pandemic Levels

Police figures back up Poundland's claim of an increase in criminality. In the year ending June 2024, police recorded shoplifting offences increased by 29% to almost 470,000, the highest figures since the current records began in 2003.

Police figures suggest a mixed bag on violent crime. There were marginally fewer homicides during the period, with a drop from 578 to 562. Firearms incidents also apparently dropped, with a 5% decrease to just under 6,000 offences.

However, robbery rose by 6% to 81,931 offences and knife crime rose 4% to 50,973 offences. The latter could indeed by higher, as the police figures do not include reports from Greater Manchester Police.

Figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which are based on people's experience of crime in their lives, rather than incidents reported to the police, show a 10% increase in the number of 'headline crime incidents' during the year ending June 2024.

The survey found that robbery and violent crime leading to injury have both increased to pre-pandemic levels. Incidents of robbery more than doubled, rising from 60,000 incidents to 139,000 incidents.

Whatever the true figures, we are a long way away from the possibly mythical time when people didn't need to lock their front doors.