Vertical Markets

Retail robbery books

by Mark Rowe

Trainers PS5 and the retail security contractors Cardinal Group have joined forces in the fight against retail crime, Steve Collins of PS5 writes.

It is common knowledge that a vast number of retailers sustain enormous losses every year as a direct result of theft in one form or another. Retail crime comes in many guises, from plain shoplifting to palming, skimming, distraction, deception, credit card and refunding frauds to the full blown horror of a life threatening armed robbery. The cost of retail crime continues to rise and is said now to be in excess of £1.5 billion a year, in the UK alone. Furthermore, retail crime does not only impact on its direct victims but also on the wider community. It damages not only the reputation of the shops but the local area as well.
To add insult to injury, it is also becoming more and more common for retail workers to suffer both verbal and physical assault at the hands of aggressive thieves, not to mention disgruntled and unhappy customers.
It is the men and women that man the front line of the retail sector that are expected to deal with these situations as and when they occur. And, although some retailers continue to invest significantly, in order to protect their staff, businesses and customers, against crime and anti-social behavior, the fact is that a large majority of staff have little to no training or information whatsoever. However, if retailers are spending more on protecting their customers, staff and stock, they deserve the support of politicians and the police. There is absolutely no doubt that staff should be trained to deal with retail crime and all forms of aggressive and violent behavior. Furthermore, retail staff should have confidence in the knowledge that if they do report a crime or anti-social behavior, that action will be taken against those responsible for it, which sadly is not always the case.
We believe this unique collaboration between PS5 and the Cardinal Group will hold some of the answers to a major international problem that affects us all.

PS5
For more than 40 years Steve Collins CEO of PS5 has been internationally recognised as a personal defence consultant and training provider, delivering highly specialised training protocols to both the private and public sectors with specific focus on weapons related crime and personal protection from violence, aggressive behavior and terrorism. PS5’s training programmes and Steve’s R.E.A.C.T books, editorial features and ‘R.E.A.C.T Survival Files’ are studied and used by Governments bodies, law-enforcement agencies and security professionals all over the world.

Cardinal Group

Cardinal Security was formed by Jason Trigg 10 years ago as a manned guarding company, it has now grown into ‘The Cardinal Group’ and is a provider of products, services and business solutions that help combat ‘total loss’.
The brands that form part of the Cardinal Group support and enable organisations to increase business efficiency and improve bottom line profitability by helping them understand known and unknown losses and offer solutions that minimise those losses and improve service. The Cardinal Group is proud to power two not-for-profit initiatives that support business development and performance improvement – the National Business Crime Solution and the ORIS Forums.

Steve Collins and Jason Trigg with their collective knowledge and experience have joined forces to produce a set of six simple to follow books. These books are specifically focused on the retail sector to help reduce the impact of retail crime, anti-social behaviour and violence on staff members, customers and the organisation involved.
This set of books will be launched under the title of ‘The R.E.A.C.T Personal Safety & Security Library’ and are based on the R.E.A.C.T methodology.

Book 1
Rules for Dealing with an Armed Robbery
This book takes the reader step-by-step through ten simple to follow stages of what they should do if an armed robbery is in progress and what the best and most appropriate actions are after the robbery.

Book 2
Rules for Dealing with Verbal & Physical Confrontation
All too often retail staff has to deal with the problems of verbal abuse and physical assault at the hands of disgruntled and aggressive customers. This book provides retail staff with the best options on how to deal with these types of situations.

Book 3
Rules for Dealing with an Armed Robbery
(Vehicle Edition)
The guidelines in this book have been written specifically for drivers and couriers that may find their vehicle or themselves under armed attack or the threat of vehicle hijack.

Book 4
Rules for Dealing with Age Related Sales
The law states that many goods may not be sold to children and minors. Both the individual seller and the company they work for are liable for prosecution and a substantial fine if they do so. This book is an easy to follow guide on how not to be in breach of the law.

Book 5
Rules for Dealing with an Armed Robbery
(for Risk Managers)
The aftermath of an armed robbery is always a difficult and stressful time for all concerned. It is the responsibility of the risk manager to deal with the situation and the staff in a sympathetic and appropriate manner. This book has been created to assist in that process.

Book 6
Rules for Dealing with Retail Crime
The cost of Retail Crime is continually rising. It is estimated to cost retailers in excess of £1.5 billion per year. This book looks at the many different ways that retail crime can be committed and gives clear and precise information on how to reduce it.

About the writer

Steve Collins is also author of Manual of Prohibited and Concealable Weapons. PS5 is a Cheshire-based security consultancy and training provider to the law enforcement, defence and the security sectors. Ken Rogers’ review of Steve REACT (Recognise, evaluate, alternatives, concentrate, terminate) was in our August 2001 issue.

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