Police chiefs in this country have been accused of decriminalizing shoplifting where the theft of the items is less than £200. This was a recent headline in the Telegraph but Chris Philps, who is the Minister of State in the Home Office, responded by saying, “Forces must investigate every shoplifting offence where there is CCTV evidence.”

The figures are really damming and show that the police fail to investigate more than 2/3rds of retail crime in this country even though shoplifting is costing businesses more than £1 billion a year.

Shoplifting offences have increased exponentially over the last year rising from 275,000 to 342,000 during the reportable period of 2022/23 and the onus for restraint falls heavily on businesses. These types of crimes have an effect on staff and customers with some shoplifters working in gangs and rampaging stores with the intent of intimidating everyone in the store. There are already 6500 security guards employed by G4S and they are looking to hire more, along with other major security companies driving for more qualified guards and CCTV operatives.

In the UK the major retailers are now funding a national CCTV database that will use facial recognition software, although this is controversial with human rights groups, claiming it to be Orwellian and an above of British privacy principles.

So why might CCVT implementation help to reduce crime?

1. Supports effective deployment of guards.
2. Improved awareness and increased offenders’ perception of getting caught.
3. Increased risk of getting caught, especially if already known to the police or the CCVT operators.

The evidence still points to CCTV actively supporting a reduction in crime statistics, and this improves when active monitoring of live footage is also carried out.

The role of a CCTV Operator could include sitting in front of up to as many as 15 screens, constantly monitoring live images from surveillance cameras in places like business spaces, retail areas, community parks, educational sites, and hospital settings to monitor for crime activities but also protecting lone workers, like night cleaners and lone guards who are patrolling sites.

We recruit security guards and CCVT Operatives for employers in all sectors, talk to our Security Desk today to find out how we can help you fill any current roles or support your team in future recruitment activities.