Store of the Future: Anti-crime technology

Retail crime is rarely out of the headlines and convenience is on the front line of this growing issue. From attacks on staff to prolific shop theft, crime in stores has unfortunately become an everyday occurrence and is severely damaging morale and businesses.

It might be easy to dismiss the growing threat of retail crime as hyperbole, but the numbers don’t lie. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) Crime Report 2025 estimates 59,000 incidents of violence in the sector and more than 9,200 incidents of robbery. Even more troubling, it estimates there were 1.2 million incidents of verbal abuse and 6.2 million incidents of shop theft over the 12 months to 17 January 2025.

That’s not to say that retailers are just letting this happen to them – the ACS report found that £265m was invested in crime prevention over the past year, working out at £5,259 per store. CCTV, staff training, body worn cameras, cash handling and Perspex screens were the main areas of investment by retailers.

These priorities don’t look to change too much in the future - when asked by the ACS what they would like to invest in, the top five areas of crime prevention investment were: CCTV, intruder alarms, staff training, external shutters and cash handling storage.

While legislation is coming down the road that would make assaulting a retail worker a specific offence, just over one-third (36%) of all retail crime is reported to retailers by the police, which clearly shows that store owners feel that preventative action is better than reaction.

With so much being invested in crime prevention, and criminals using more sophisticated methods to steal – the stakes are high and retailers need to stay one step ahead of problem.

When looking at the future of anything technology-related, AI figures high on the agenda. Not just used for text-based admin tasks, it’s becoming a powerful tool in helping retailers protect their stores.

Retail AI CEO Mark Steven explains the technology. “Retailers are facing unprecedented challenges - from rising costs and increased legislation to a surge in theft costing the sector billions. Retail AI provides an innovative AI-powered solution that integrates seamlessly with existing CCTV systems offering a proven deterrent against shoplifting.

“By linking directly to a retailers current CCTV, Retail AI monitors store activity for theft-related behaviours and reacts instantly.”

Steven takes us through how the system works.

· An individual enters store and conceals goods

· AI system instantly detects suspected theft

· Date and time stamped footage of individual is sent to a dedicated counter display (highlighting to staff who the alert relates to and exactly where they are in the store). This footage is also catalogued and stored in a dedicated repository for future interrogation / forwarding to police as evidence.

· Simultaneously store audio is faded, siren sounds, and an Anti-Theft warning is played alerting alleged perpetrator that their actions have been observed / recorded.

He adds that retailers using Retail AI report that most theft attempts are aborted without staff intervention, reducing labour costs and improving staff safety. Additionally, retailers say that offenders tend not to return, instead targeting stores without this technology.

Going even further along the prevention route is Chirp-Protect, which is used on individual products such as meat and coffee, typical targets for shop theft. Knowing which categories are at the biggest risk of theft means retailers can focus on the products they want to protect with the tamper-proof tagging system.

The Chirp-Protect security system lets retailers display merchandise freely while keeping it protected. It includes tamper-proof, self-alarming tags that deter theft while maintaining a “seamless shopping experience”. Chirp-Protect boasts small business security systems that don’t rely on bulky antennas at store exits but rather use discreet hubs that create invisible security perimeters around key areas, such as shelves, display cases, or entire departments.

Barry Patel of Nisa Marsh Farm installed the system after struggling to protect categories such as baby powder, steaks and coffee. “Before Chirp-protect, we were losing over £250 each month to shoplifting,” he explains. “Now, not only has that loss significantly reduced, but the tags act as both a visual deterrent as well as alarming in situ if they are tampered with or if they try to exit the store without first being deactivated first, and even better they continue to alarm outside the store. This system is simple, cost-effective, and does exactly what it’s supposed to do.”

Of course, keeping staff safe is the main priority for retailers, and investing in technology is one way to help with that. Body-worn cameras are now becoming more common in stores, with BP and Poundland introducing them to staff so that a record of interactions are kept but also a deterrent is on display to someone who may be considering verbal or physical abuse against staff.

Derbyshire retailer Dee Sedani introduced the technology several years ago to give his team peace of mind while working but he also provided StaffSafe panic button wristbands that can call for help quickly when needed. 

He’s not the only one investing in staff safety. Dave Hiscutt, head of operations for Bassett Retail which runs stores in the south west of the country, also introduced FaceWatch and StaffSafe.

FaceWatch is an artificial intelligence camera that loads images of people suspected of theft into a database, which can then send alerts to stores if they return. Within the first month, 41 incidents were recorded in the FaceWatch database involving anti-social behaviour, shop thefts and threatening attitudes towards staff.