Poundland announces huge change to 800 stores in campaign against shoplifting

Poundland announces huge change to 800 stores in campaign against shoplifting (Image: PA)

Poundland is introducing a major overhaul to its stores as it initiates a new campaign to combat shoplifting.

The discount high street chain has today launched its "Against Retail Crime" initiative, part of its ongoing efforts to tackle the rising issue of shop theft and harassment of retail staff.

As part of this initiative, Poundland announced that it is investing "significantly" in security enhancements across its 800 UK stores.

Staff will soon be equipped with communication headsets for swift response during incidents.

Following a successful trial, the retailer is also rolling out Motorola Solutions VT100 body cameras to the stores that face the most severe crime issues.

Poundland is introducing a major overhaul to its stores (Image: Getty)

According to Poundland, these cameras act as a visual deterrent for potential offenders and record incidents.

They have also contributed to an 11 percent decrease in violence against Poundland employees and a "marked reduction" in shoplifting and theft.

Additionally, Poundland is empowering its contracted security teams to detain suspected offenders in stores and plans to employ more undercover guards.

Poundland announced that it is investing in security enhancements (Image: Getty)

The retailer is working closely with local law enforcement agencies and police forces, receiving support from undercover officers and sharing CCTV footage to aid prosecution.

This comes as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported in its latest Crime Survey that UK shop workers are now experiencing 1,300 incidents of violence and abuse daily, a 50 percent increase from the previous year, reports The Mirror.

Poundland's Head of Loss Prevention, Christina Jesty, stated: "The rate of store theft and colleague abuse has accelerated significantly across our stores in the last 18 months, and this has been very challenging for our people.

"Whether it's store theft undermining all our colleagues' hard work, or incidents of violence and abuse making our colleagues feel unsafe at work, something must change."

She added: "At Poundland, we pride ourselves on being a value-led high street retailer, where protecting our colleagues goes hand in hand with protecting our prices.

"That is why we're saying enough is enough and beginning a campaign to support our front-line teams and crack down on retail crime across our stores."