Ramraiding: Insight from those affected

Even the briefest of searches online for ramraiding results in a disturbingly high number of stories - and worryingly regularly the targets are convenience stores.

Usually they tell of stores who’ve had thousands of pounds of stock stolen, often at night, or of those that fell victim to attacks but whose security measures worked, preventing actual loss but still causing costs.

One of Mike Fitton’s Welcome at Southern Co-op stores in the New Forest came under attack in the middle of the night earlier this month, when thieves broke in reverse-smashing through its security measures. CCTV reveals their target to be the cigarette kiosk, but fortunately for Mike, his security cloak and alarm did their job, making visibility impossible for the intruders. The gang made off with only a handful of items, swiped as they rushed out.

There followed a worried night and a morning of repairs and cleaning up. Locals were quick to take to social media to thank the store for opening again so quickly – but well wishes won’t protect a store. Mike says his security measures are now extremely high – if expensive. “The challenge is trying to mitigate the overall cost and not pay an hourly rate for security guards,” he says.

Following the unsuccessful raid at the store, the thieves headed to another store in the area, where they were less careful. “They did the same thing in that one, but you could see one of them on camera. Actually, when they were getting in, they cut their hand and there was blood on the scene. The police managed to get some DNA and anecdotally we heard someone had been caught,” Mike explains.

This brings us to gangs who are targeting more than one store in a spree. On 13 September, three stores in Eastleigh, Hampshire, were raided by the same gang. Shockingly, a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of the offence. Detective Inspector Timothy Sivarajah said of the attacks: “We fully appreciate that the incidents in the Nursling and Eastleigh areas will have caused concern for business owners but we have committed significant resources to ensure each incident is thoroughly investigated. There will continue to be an increased police presence in these areas as they carry out further enquiries – including extensive CCTV scoping and review, house-to-house enquiries and forensic enquires.”

The police eventually came up trumps at another ramraid which took place late last year as part of a wider crime spree. The Spar store in the village of Clavering, near the M11 in Essex, was attacked in December, but owner Yusef Mehmet explains he’s subsequently been informed of progress with a prosecution. “We’ve since heard from the serious crime squad that they’ve made an arrest. They’ve been in contact so hopefully they’ve made some progress.”

However, like many victims of retail crime, Yusef is sure the attack on his store formed part of a wider operation. “Normally these crimes are unresolved. I think they were associated with a lot of stuff going on in the area. They were all in masks and had petrol angle grinders. There were even people outside the store videoing it. They didn’t give a shit.”

The criminals in this case were after the store’s ATM, but just as with Mike’s raid were unsuccessful. “They cut through the front door, broke the glass and got in. They knew exactly where it was so they must have been in the shop before,” Yusef recalls. Changes happened straight away as a result of the attack. “We got rid of the cash machine immediately. We had it removed as we thought of it as a security risk.”

So what can be done to counter a ramraid? One option is shutters, activated when a store is closed. Be aware, any you do choose may need to meet local guidelines, with most urban area shops needing to have visibility through any shutters installed in case of emergency. There’s also the option of electric or manual shutters, although Ollie Yeo, sales director at supplier Security Direct, says electric options are the most popular choice for stores these days, especially smaller ones.

The company offers everything from a lightweight shutter up to a government grade version which are used for MOD bases - although this level of security might be a little excessive for a convenience store. “Normally on a shop front you’d have a medium to high security galvanised steel type shutter,” Ollie explains. Costs will understandably come down to the size of the store and the shutter required. Every shutter is bespoke, but as an example, a 4x2.5m shutter would be around £2,500-3,000, supplied and fitted, with an electric shutter, he says.

The list of measures Mike has taken is depressingly extensive. He now has a smoke alarm with strobe light, standard CCTV, extra external CCTV with speech capabilities linked to a head office, bollards, shutters and even something called a Vulture unit. “That’s got electronic beams, so if anybody tries to break the beam outside the shop - or inside the shop - the unit’s linked directly to our CCTV security centre,” he explains.

Forewarned is forearmed, the saying goes, and while the depressing glut of news stories on ram raids across the country looks to be far from stopping soon, there are steps you can take to deter ram raiders. It’s always worth regularly checking your store’s security, updating or refreshing where necessary, but also keep an eye on your local news and communicate with other stores in your area. Keeping engaged with your local police is also advisable.