Melanie Westlake’s Post

A good example of practical wisdom: being able to respond in the blink of an eye without having to deliberate in advance

A good example of practical wisdom: being able to respond in the blink of an eye without having to deliberate in advance

Well Done

Supermarket crime increases by nearly 60% over past year, report shows The cost of living crisis continues to hit in a big way, with a worrying increase in violence towards staff. With a huge % of theft being committed by repeat offenders, we know that our good facial recognition software can help retailers and police in the fight against these criminal attacks. https://lnkd.in/gsdETPfq

How can bakery shops and similar establishments enhance security measures to protect customers from violent robberies like the recent incident in the 7200 block of Bissonnet in Houston? Violent Robbery at Houston Bakery Raises Concerns. A violent robbery occurred at a southwest Houston bakery when a man assaulted a woman, demanding her purse. Bystanders intervened, prompting the suspect to flee, retrieve a bat, and shatter the bakery's glass door. The Houston Police Department seeks public assistance in identifying the suspect involved in the incident on December 23, 2023. Key Takeaways: - Business Security Measures: Establishments like bakery shops should evaluate and strengthen security measures, including surveillance systems, staff training, and emergency response plans, to protect customers from violent crimes. - Community Involvement: Bystanders can play a crucial role in preventing and responding to violent incidents. Encouraging community involvement and awareness can contribute to safer commercial environments. - Law Enforcement Collaboration: Law enforcement agencies and businesses should collaborate to raise awareness about local crime trends, gather information from the community, and work together to prevent and solve violent crimes. #retailsafety #retailsecurity https://lnkd.in/gjKJR7da

The shocking truth about what retail staff on the front line are suffering: in USDAW's continued campaign for change on retail crime, Respect for Shopworkers week again revealed poignant comments shopworkers shared when responding to Usdaw’s latest annual survey: “Man spat on me when I confronted him for trying to steal coffee from us. Get drunk people who try to steal, swearing at myself and other colleagues.” “Regular shoplifter threatened me and another staff member, said not to try anything because he had a knife.” “Shoplifter went to hit me and another said they were going to cut my throat. Had a band of shoplifters coming in being aggressive, rude and threatening.” “Abuse from youths on a daily basis - threats and violence from shoplifters under the influence of drink and drugs.” “Challenged a thief and was pushed and swung at. A shoplifter punched the window next to me and said it would be my face next time.” “Involved in an armed robbery and attacked with a machette. Had items of stock thrown at me by customers." We would love to speak to you about how we can help to give your retail colleagues valuable peace of mind that someone can SEE them, HEAR them, and HELP them in real time, immediately that a threatening incident occurs. The StaffSafe system also works to discourage crime, diffusing threatening and potentially dangerous situations. #retailsecurity #staffwellbeing Give us a call https://staffsafe.co.uk/

StaffSafe gives your retail colleagues valuable peace of mind that someone can SEE them, HEAR them, and HELP them in real time, immediately that a threatening incident occurs. The StaffSafe system also works to discourage crime, diffusing threatening and potentially dangerous situations. #retail #retailsecurity #staffwellbeing #protection #retailcrime

How can bakery shops and similar establishments enhance security measures to protect customers from violent robberies like the recent incident in the 7200 block of Bissonnet in Houston? Violent Robbery at Houston Bakery Raises Concerns. A violent robbery occurred at a southwest Houston bakery when a man assaulted a woman, demanding her purse. Bystanders intervened, prompting the suspect to flee, retrieve a bat, and shatter the bakery's glass door. The Houston Police Department seeks public assistance in identifying the suspect involved in the incident on December 23, 2023. Key Takeaways: - Business Security Measures: Establishments like bakery shops should evaluate and strengthen security measures, including surveillance systems, staff training, and emergency response plans, to protect customers from violent crimes. - Community Involvement: Bystanders can play a crucial role in preventing and responding to violent incidents. Encouraging community involvement and awareness can contribute to safer commercial environments. - Law Enforcement Collaboration: Law enforcement agencies and businesses should collaborate to raise awareness about local crime trends, gather information from the community, and work together to prevent and solve violent crimes. #retailsafety #retailsecurity https://lnkd.in/gkzRDsxx

It’s never nice to share bad news but unfortunately our latest retail crime stats are not good.    Data for the May-July 2023 quarter, shows recorded incidents were up 59% year-on-year across our 300-plus grocery stores, and up 19% on the last quarter (Feb-April 2023)     Most of the 3,900 separate incidents were related to shoplifting, which was up 78%, but there was also an alarming uptick in assaults, with 54 incidents during the quarter compared to 19 a year ago.    Unfortunately, supermarket workers are increasingly faced with aggressive and violent behaviour, and in the past three months alone, five of our staff have had to take time off due to injuries suffered in such attacks.       Repeat offenders are responsible for over a third of all reported incidents, which is why we’re calling for more to be done to help us keep them out of our stores. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eGhMFYNa Chris Quin Catherine Tardif Cindy Chaimowitz David Stewart Jo Allan Jonathan Box Lindsay Rowles Julian Benefield Simon Kennedy Wendy Hammonds Dominic Quin Olivia Taylor Irlene Mokaraka Joanne van den Berg Emma Wooster Esther Gordon Clinton Rowling Sonia Beal Jean Reilly Torben Akel #retailcrime

Hi Foodstuffs North Island Limited, thank you for sharing the challenges that your team are experiencing every day in the retail environment. Your teams do such a remarkable job, and are such an important part of the community. Watching this video, I can see that each incident of violence and aggression involves a team member intervening in theft. And wow, that first one with the offender holding a knife makes me so worried for your team. There are so many people willing to use violence (including weapons) to avoid apprehension these days, and so many opportunities for our team to be injured or threatened. I used to think my job as a police officer in Queensland Police Service was the toughest job out there, but since we started working closely with customer service teams across Australia and New Zealand, I have gained a massive respect for retail team members, who are confronted daily by difficult, aggressive and violent offenders. As a police officer, I used to have a heap of tools and great training at my disposal, and luckily, had the power of arrest to quickly resolve confrontations and crisis, however, my most effective tool was generally my voice. Unfortunately, your teams don’t have all the same tools, or training, and can’t resolve an incident with an arrest, and so they have to make do with what we have coined ‘the three C’s’ - Communication, Common Sense, and Creating Distance. Working with great clients in Christchurch NZ (including training and supporting the team at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre - Ross Steele & Greg Allen), and over here in Australia with Woolworths Supermarkets and other retailers) our team are passionate about training workforces to remain safe in their workplace so that they get to go home safely. That’s the most important outcome, right? We all hate that offenders are getting away with retail theft, and abuse, but we hate it more when our team gets injured intervening with aggressive and violent criminals (who fortunately are the minority of customers). An incredible 80% of violence and aggression in retail is currently a direct result of team members getting involved in theft intervention…and the resulting injuries are not only costing businesses tens of millions in work cover and claims, but, much more importantly, it is costing team members their physical and psychological health, safety, and at times, even their lives. We would really love to help you and your team remain safe, and pass on strategies that can help you to deal with conflict, communicate effectively, and keep your team safe and secure. Workforce Resilience Chris Quin Catherine Tardif Cindy Chaimowitz David Stewart Jo Allan Jonathan Box Lindsay Rowles Julian Benefield Simon Kennedy Wendy Hammonds Dominic Quin Olivia Taylor Irlene Mokaraka Joanne van den Berg Emma Wooster Esther Gordon Clinton Rowling Jean Reilly #retail #supermarkets