The Thistles Crime Partnership, officially launched on February 12, is a Scottish shopping centre’s way of helping retailers to combat crime and losses.
The Stirling centre is providing all tenants with membership to Retailers Against Crime (RAC), part of the Stirling-based Scottish Business Crime Centre. In turn, that gives them access to a database showing montages of offenders including organised shoplifting teams, purse dippers and fraudsters. RAC staff will also keep the Thistles shops informed of real-time events of potential concern such as the movements of known teams and their vehicles in the Stirling area. That’ll be via a new radio system being installed for each retailer. <br><br>Scott Wells, security manager at the Thistle, told Professional Security the aim is a ‘Thistles community’ to identify offenders, making it much more difficult for them to operate. “In effect, the entire centre becomes part of a security team, all working towards a common goal. The radio scheme will also be incorporated with our disaster plans giving us direct contact with specific retailers even when they have been evacuated from the centre. Schemes like these are available to retailers from other suppliers but they can be poorly subscribed to, with little if any command and control which undermines the effectiveness of the scheme. This scheme is mandatory; retailers are required to participate in the system, but will benefit from training and the input of the scheme’s five partners – the Thistles Centre, Central Scotland Police, Safer Stirling, St James Security [the Gateshead-based guarding company with the Thistle contract] and RAC. To demonstrate their commitment to the scheme, the partners will subsidise the cost to retailers for the first year. We believe this new partnership will greatly assist retailers in reducing shrinkage in an increasingly difficult trading climate.” <br><br>About RAC – visit –
