The future of retail security

A recent report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) delivered a blow to the sector, revealing the extent to which retail crime has soared.

Incidents of violence and abuse were up to around 2,000 per day in the period 2023/24, shockingly up from 1,300 in the previous year. These included racial and sexual abuse, assault, and threats with weapons. At the same time satisfaction with intervention from the police, the BRC reported, remains low, with 61% of respondents saying their experience was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

Theft remains at an all-time high too, costing the nation’s retailers more than £2 billion per year. It is hoped, industry leaders say, that a new Crime and Policing Bill in 2025, will help drive these figures down during what is predicted to be one of the most difficult financial years in the sector.

What more, in the meantime, can retailers do to protect themselves and their businesses? Speciality Food asks the security experts.

Security challenges in retail

Ensuring strong security in a shopping environment has never been more important, says Sarah Bird, head of local services at NBCS, with criminals taking advantage of numerous loopholes such as self-checkout kiosks, which enable thieves to swipe merchandise without face-to-face interactions.

“Another important issue is the underreporting of crime incidents. Underreporting prevents police forces from addressing shoplifting incidents, and prolific offenders continue to plague retailers, which only exacerbates existing security challenges,” she says.

“Additionally, the rise of aggressive and abusive behaviour of thieves presents another critical issue. Staff members have been threatened with various weapons, causing staff to leave the sector in some cases.”

Despite retailers’ best efforts, says Toby Ball, client relations manager at Harrison Retail, thieves are finding ever innovative ways to ‘beat the system’, exploiting shops’ vulnerabilities.

He’s especially noticed an uptick in organised crime, where groups work together to steal large volumes of stock, often threatening employees in the process. 

“The impact of stock loss to such a large extent is not only felt by retailers as they invest in better security measures, such as advanced technology and loss prevention solutions, but also by customers, as prices inevitably increase to offset the reduced profit margins caused by the losses.”

Traditional security measures such as fixed cameras, security guards and electronic surveillance (EAS) systems, while necessary, have their limitations, often failing to provide real-time deterrence or sufficient evidence to prosecute, adds Matthew Dawes, head of enterprise solutions at HALOS.

“Beyond theft, employee safety in retail is a growing concern. Retail workers increasingly face verbal abuse, physical confrontations, and even violent attacks, especially in high-risk environments like convenience stores and high-value retailers. Many feel unsupported, contributing to high turnover rates. This in turn increases recruitment and training costs, disrupts operations, reduces staff experience, and lowers morale. Ensuring employee safety isn’t just ethical – it’s essential for business stability, customer service, and long-term profitability,” Matthew says.

“Retailers must also balance security practices with a positive customer experience, ensuring loss prevention strategies work, but don’t create an unwelcoming atmosphere,” he continues.

What are the best retail security solutions?

While retailers wait for lawmakers to line-up policing with their expectations, a raft of technological change is ongoing in the security sector to help them stand up to criminals and protect their businesses.

Georgia Cumming, corporate account manager for retail at DeterTech, says SmartWater forensic marking is becoming effective. “It can be sprayed on the offender and goods from a distance, remains on skin and clothing for weeks, and has a 100% conviction rate in contested court cases,” she explains. “That means suspects can be identified and charged long after they’ve fled the scene.”

A less physical solution, says Matthew, is the integration of AI-driven security, cloud-based monitoring and real-time deterrents, which can help staff to intervene before a crime occurs.

“Paired with cloud-connected surveillance, retailers can retrieve evidence instantly, coordinate remote security teams, and improve response times,” he says, adding that he considers the most powerful frontline tool today the body-worn camera (BWC). “Unlike overhead cameras, there’s no hiding from a body camera – they move with the employee, capturing clear facial footage and recording audio for a full, indisputable record of an event. If a criminal sees body-worn cameras in use, it’s another factor they must plan around, increasing the risk of getting caught and potentially deterring them from committing the crime altogether.”

BWCs, Matthew continues, can live-stream incidents to security teams, and trigger panic alerts at the press of a button. “A recent study found that 81% of retail staff felt safer using BWCs, and 91% wanted to continue using them. By combining AI, automation, and real-time monitoring, retailers are closing security gaps, reducing crime, and creating safer workplaces – protecting both employees and customers while safeguarding the retailer’s stock.”

Toby is also an advocate for AI solutions, alongside RFID tags, Smart Shelves and sensors. “The data captured by such technology, in turn, allows loss prevention providers to better understand patterns and vulnerabilities in-store and adapt their solutions accordingly.”

It’s essential, Toby says, for retailers to adopt a multi-layered loss prevention strategy that takes store layout and fixtures into account – a strategy that ensures the shopping environment remains customer-friendly, accessible and visually appealing.

“Point-of-sale loss prevention solutions, when implemented correctly, can be just as effective at deterring criminals as big tech by making theft more difficult but limiting disruption for well-intended customers. These shelving solutions create just enough friction to discourage thieves by increasing the time and effort required to sweep large quantities of products from the shelf. Smart point-of-sale alternatives, such as automated pusher systems that control stock retrieval or gravity risers that limit shelf access, help secure products while encouraging customer interaction,” Toby explains.

Another key strategy in preventing theft is data sharing, says Sarah, who thinks it’s been highly effective in creating a clearer picture of criminal behaviour, aiding the identification of offenders. “Incidents that are reported without identifiable suspects often get closed down by the police, but shared intelligence networks allow for the linking of identities to crimes, ultimately helping to catch prolific offenders and organised groups.”

While Mark Williams, managing director (EMEA) at WorkJam, says greater emphasis could be put on two-way task management and communication software which can help retailers assign and track tasks related to incident reporting and investigation promptly.

“Frontline workers can document security breaches or violence incidents, initiate investigations, and assign responsible individuals for follow-up actions.” Efficient task management systems, he adds, can also help create and track tasks for security protocol compliance. “For example, frontline workers will receive assigned tasks to monitor surveillance systems or perform routine inspections. This ensures consistent implementation of security measures, identifying vulnerabilities, and addressing them proactively.”

What is the future of retail security?

Technological advancements are redefining retail security, and this trend is projected to continue, says Sarah, who predicts even greater use of AI-integrated monitoring pods and CCTV systems that track shopper behaviour to detect suspicious activity, alongside increased facial recognition technology to identify repeat offenders, feeding into a database.

Matthew agrees that AI is a key innovation – especially predictive AI analytics, “which will identify potential threats based on behavioural patterns, allowing security teams to act before incidents even occur”.

There will be a shift too, Matthew says, to an expansion of body-worn cameras beyond security personnel, to frontline retail staff, who he says must be sufficiently protected. “Body-worn cameras will increasingly be seen as essential tools for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every retail worker, providing them with the same level of security and accountability currently available for security and loss prevention teams.”

Collaboration through networks and databases is, Sarah adds, also important in the future of retail crime prevention. “Collaboration will provide a strengthened shared intelligence network through which data can be shared. By accessing real-time threat detection data and through the identification of known shoplifters, businesses will be able to better prevent occurring crimes and keep staff safe.”

Toby agrees, saying, “Tackling the growing issue of theft must be a joint effort between the Government, police and retailers. Retailers do not need to take the law into their own hands, but there are ways to hamper potential criminals to make it almost impossible for shoplifting to take place. As retailers understand the detriment of defensive merchandising on sales, they are shifting from individual product protection to entire shelf protection solutions.

“Retailers should aim to balance product interaction and security to avoid jeopardising sales, especially impulse and promotional purchases. In doing so, they should avoid rushing into costly tech investments that could compromise customer shopping experience, especially when more affordable, bespoke loss prevention shelf solutions are available, specifically designed for the fast-paced retail environment.”