The police have suggested that shops and pharmacies should deploy staff to “meet and greet” customers when they enter the store, to curb spiralling shoplifting rates.
They claim that greeters can immediately deter potential criminals on entry as they feel they are being watched.
They suggest that shop owners should follow “three-to-five second rule” — a timeframe for speaking to potential criminals on entry to a store that is thought to dissuade them from stealing.
The guidance says that greeting customers as they enter the store will send them a message that they are being watched, and deter potential shoplifters.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there were 530,643 reported shoplifting offences in the year to March, which is a 20 percent increase from the previous year.
Due to a spike in shoplifting cases, more retailers have invested in crime-prevention technology, such as CCTV and anti-theft devices, and deployed guards with body-worn cameras.
In-store security costs are at a record high, reaching £1.8 billion in 2023-24, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The consortium expressed dissatisfaction with the police response to reports of shoplifting, and some shopkeepers have even given up on reporting incidents.
Some tried publishing photos of suspects on the shop front and displayed photos of shoplifting captured on CCTV, but the police have said that doing so could breach various laws.
