Retail Security Systems

Retail carries two distinct risks that need designing for separately. Out of hours, the concern is forced entry through the shopfront, roof or rear service door, and the answer is conventional perimeter and internal detection at the grade your insurer specifies, with monitored signalling where stock value warrants it.

During trading, the risk is theft and abuse while the doors are open and staff are outnumbered. That is a CCTV and staff safety problem rather than an alarm problem. It needs cameras positioned for identification at entrances and tills rather than a general view of the shop floor, coverage of stockroom and back of house access, and a way for staff to raise an alarm discreetly when a situation escalates.

Retail crime against staff has risen sharply, and shopworkers face abuse and threats far more often than most employers acknowledge. A system that only protects the stock and ignores the people behind the counter is only doing half the job.

Running several stores changes the requirement. You need consistent specification across sites so every store behaves the same way, central visibility of alarm and camera status rather than ringing each manager, and a single maintenance arrangement instead of a different local installer per location with no shared records.

We handle rollouts across London portfolios on one schedule, with consistent equipment, consistent documentation and one point of contact, and we are equally happy delivering that as a subcontract package for a fit out contractor rolling out a brand.