A crime-fighting tool is combating the scourge of shoplifting thanks to a successful partnership between retail crime experts, police officers and shop staff.

Retailers attending an intelligence briefing in Aberdeen heard how the Retailers Against Crime (RAC) SentrySIS platform is helping detect and catch offenders who travel from one area to another committing similar crimes.

CID officers outlined how they have managed to identify crime patterns and apprehend criminals responsible for a series of shoplifting offences due to retailers using the system to report retail crime and other incidents.

Successes include linking 34 different crime reports across Scotland to one offender and another man - involved in high value toiletries theft – being identified as responsible for 18 different crime reports.

National retail crime partnership RAC hosted the briefing where Intelligence Co-ordinator Natasa Wilson emphasised the importance of businesses sharing information and working in partnership to combat crime. She said:

“The successes speak for themselves and demonstrate what we can achieve by working together, sharing information and experiences and using SentrySIS to report retail crime when it happens.”

Detective Inspector Andrew Machray of Police Scotland said:

“We are dealing with more and more travelling criminals and organised crime groups and by working alongside RAC and using SentrySIS, we have been able to liaise with retailers and identify patterns of crime which have led to the successful apprehension of several individuals involved in high value crimes."

“The intelligence from SentrySIS and the direct links with retailers is invaluable when it comes to detecting crime trends and patterns which can be recognised across various police divisions.”

Retailers from a range of Aberdeen stores were briefed on how the SentrySis tool works and given valuable crime prevention advice at the intelligence briefing held at the Bon Accord shopping centre.

The system sees users share real-time information about thefts with fellow retailers, RAC and the police. During May, 187 offenders were identified through the platform while a further 87 have been detected during the first two weeks of June.

Ms Wilson also detailed how incidents of violent crime are increasing with 1674 reported to RAC by its members during 2024 from a total of 11,890 offences. Meanwhile, overall losses for retailers increased by 26% to £1.85M during the last year.

She told the retailers:

“We know how much of an impact rising retail crime and acts of violence are having on you, and we want to help detect and prevent these crimes. We can provide you with the tools you need as a retailer or security officer to tackle retail crime and I want to really emphasise how important it is that we all work together to deal with this issue.”

She encouraged retailers to use SentrySIS to find out which criminals are currently active in their area, be alerted to the latest crime incidents, report shoplifting offences and access a database with information on more than 16,000 offenders. She also stressed that it is imperative to report these incidents to Police Scotland.

And she presented video footage of criminal teams in action which highlighted how one member might distract a shop assistant while another steals merchandise and a third shields them from view in a premeditated plan.

Ms Wilson also gave details of the current MOs (modus operandi) and props used by criminals to conceal stolen goods and the tricks they’ve developed to deflect alarms.

She said: “We can provide added intelligence which you may not have come across about the different MOs offenders use – the extreme lengths they go to and the effort they put in to steal valuable stock from your stores."

“We are seeing a lot of theft by distraction from teams who know exactly what they are doing. They scope out the shop in advance, get their bearings and work together to remove a substantial amount of items extremely quickly and they are exceptionally good at what they do.”

The briefing also heard from DI Machray and his team about how effective SentrySIS has been in helping CID officers detect travelling offenders.

In addition to linking 34 different crime reports to one offender and detecting another for 18 different crime reports, the system has helped link another male with seven crimes across the North East of Scotland.

Meanwhile, another offender was linked to a series of Acquisitive Crimes (such crimes include theft, housebreaking, shoplifting and vehicle theft) including numerous shoplifting offences. The briefing will be followed up with an inaugural ‘Day of Action’ targeting shoplifters in the city later this year. These initiatives, organised by RAC in partnership with Police Scotland, focus on the most prolific offenders in a city resulting in arrests and a major crackdown on retail crime.

Last month, an intensive Day of Action in Glasgow led to five arrests plus an additional 12 people charged with offences including shoplifting and drug possession.

Stephanie Karté, National Operations Manager at RAC, was delighted with the success of the Aberdeen briefing which was attended by around 30 retail workers from a wide sector of the industry. She said:

“We had an excellent turnout and some positive feedback and it’s really all about trying to pull everybody together, listen to what’s happening and do what we can to support each other. Everyone is having the same problems with retail crime and it’s such a boost to hear about the successes and positive outcomes the police have had thanks to retailers reporting crimes via SentrySIS.”

She added: “We wanted to gauge interest among Aberdeen retail businesses for the idea of holding the city’s very first Day of Action later this year and that was something everyone was keen to see. So, we will go ahead with that, and it will help us to up the ante when it comes to tackling the persistent offenders who are causing so much distress to retailers."

"Day in and day out, we must continue sharing intelligence and operating as a unified retail crime partnership to combat retail crime and the devastating impact it has on all of us."

One retail security manager who attended the briefing described it as “fantastic” and said she and her colleagues are keen to make use of the SentrySIS app.

She said: “It was really helpful. I didn't know much about the partnership at all before attending and found all the information useful. It was good to see the police recognise the need for a higher focus on retail crime and great to see the amount of interest and desire to do more about shoplifting in our area and how this can be done. The use of the app and the talk about ‘Days of Action’ are inspiring.”

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 the website, visit here.