The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) would like to remind all retailers about the crime guidance available on demand, which aims to support convenience retailers in dealing with crime threats and setting out strategies that are effective in detecting, deterring and tackling crime against their businesses.

Our first crime guidance, “What Works”, highlights the successful and most common measures that retailers have used to keep colleagues and customers safe. According to the ACS 2025 Crime Report, convenience retailers invested over £265m on crime prevention measures such as body-worn cameras and CCTV to keep their communities and colleagues safe. Below are some of the ways in which colleagues have been able to reduce crime and make colleagues feel safer:

Investing in equipment such as headsets, body-worn cameras and CCTV to make colleagues feel less isolated while also acting as a deterrent for offenders. CCTV also allows retailers to share footage with police during investigations, some of which can be livestreamed as it happens.

Implementing an online central information hub which stores all relevant shop information, training resources, CCTV footage and staff records to allow colleagues to easily report crimes and store evidence online. Training helps to ensure staff feel confident to report crimes and know what to do in an emergency.

High-risk items are labelled as a form of defensive merchandising, which helps identify where the stolen item originated from. This cost-effective method is beneficial in stopping the disposal chain of stolen items.

Facial-recognition software helps to identify prolific offenders, providing clearer images for police to use and helping store staff to recognise thieves before they can act.

You can find more information about what works in preventing crime and protecting store colleagues by visiting acs.org.uk or downloading the PDF version here.