Stirling business owners learned about the latest techniques used by shoplifters at an intelligence briefing aimed at tackling crime in the city.
They were shown the methods used to evade security systems and how thieves often work in teams distracting staff while others steal goods.
The meeting, hosted by Retailers Against Crime (RAC) and Go Forth Stirling Business Improvement District (BID), emphasised the importance of businesses working together and sharing information to enhance community vigilance and combat crime.
It also highlighted RAC’s SentrySIS crime-fighting tool which allows users to share real-time information and alerts about thefts and other crimes happening in the city.
The BID’s Communications and Partnership Manager Jitka Fleglova described how the two organisations are harnessing the power of collaboration to create safer communities and reduce crime through shared resources and intelligence. She said: “Go Forth is very much about businesses working together and pooling resources to create a vibrant community while the RAC team are working to make places safer for everyone to live in.
We began partnering with RAC about three years ago when antisocial behaviour reports were increasing, and we realised we needed to tackle crime and make people feel safer in order to foster a strong, resilient community.
We subsidise RAC membership for BID members so they can use their SentrySis reporting tool and other benefits and it’s amazing what can be achieved by collaborating and submitting reports which then go out to every member of the community.
It’s a fantastic tool to have at our fingertips and I encourage everyone who is not already a member through the BID to sign up and get on board.”
Natasa Wilson, Intelligence Co-ordinator at RAC, told the briefing how incidents of violent crime are rising with 1674 reported to the organisation during 2024.
She demonstrated how retailers can use the SentrySIS app to find out which criminals are currently active in the Stirling area, be alerted to the latest crime incidents and access a database with information on more than 16,000 offenders.
The RAC team receive information from the police along with crime reports from business members which they analyse and authorise before adding to their information logs for circulation to their members.
The not-for-profit organisation also highlights the current MOs (modus operandi) being used by criminals, so business owners and staff have advance information and intelligence to help them stay informed and vigilant.
Ms Wilson presented footage of criminal teams which demonstrated how one member might distract a shop assistant while another steals merchandise and a third hides them from view in a premeditated and quickly executed plan. She said: “The information on the App can be filtered to a specific area – for example Forth Valley – so users can see who is operating nearby and be forewarned of the specific methods they may be using.
We can issue alerts of teams who are working together – including photographs and other identifying details – and show how they travel around the UK to shoplift. And once they are in a particular area they are likely to be involved in other incidents too such as begging and purse dipping.”
She also advised the group, who included representatives from Boots, Book Nook, several charity shops, Marks & Spencer and Il Vicolo, how thieves use multiple props to conceal stock.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Karté, National Operations Manager at RAC, noted how the reporting app has already proved successful in detecting criminals in Stirling. In one case, the perpetrators of an assault were caught after a member uploaded footage of the incident and another recognised those responsible.
She said: “We’ve had enormous success thanks to information sharing between the business community. You are the eyes and ears of Stirling who can give us intelligence about what’s happening on your streets and premises which we can then analyse and circulate. This is what works and it’s remarkable what we can achieve by everyone working together.”
The RAC and Go Forth teams are keen to see more BID retailers take up the membership offer and make use of the innovative SentrySIS scheme.
Go Forth subsidises the cost of RAC membership to all levy-paying and voluntary BID members giving them access to the SentrySIS (Secure Intelligence System) platform to report crime, receive alerts about criminal activity and create evidence logs to help police detect offences.
Retailers Against Crime is a national retail crime partnership, established in 1997, which aims to detect and prevent crime by sharing information on local and travelling offenders with members and partners throughout the UK. More information is available on their website: www.retailersagainstcrime.org.
