In our October 2004 issue we reported on the London scheme Shopwatch, whereby the Met Police seeks to encourage retail workers including store detectives to volunteer to be trained as Special Constables. Here is an update.
There are some new scheme launches pencilled in across London for the summer, says Shopwatch project manager Neil Barrett. Last year saw first schemes set up in Camden; and in Oxford Street and Regent Street (see the article in Professional Security in December 2004 on sports retailer Lillywhites at Piccadilly). <br><br>Neil reports that there has been a significant growth in the number of retail chains supporting the scheme. He says: “Many retailers are now actively measuring staff interest across London, via intranets and area and field management. This means that as well as recruiting staff in person in the areas where the schemes are running, the retailer can generate a London-wide pool of applicants, who, if not currently working directly inside a scheme area in their day job can be posted to the nearest ShopWatch scheme where the retailer has a presence. The retailer and the public still get all the benefits of the increased police presence around High Streets and shopping centres on the duty day, and of course all of the benefits of having a trained police officer working amongst their store staff the other nine days a fortnight.”<br><br>All Special Constables in London now get free travel on buses, Tubes and Docklands Light Railway, on and off duty. Shopwatch is promoted as a win-win for everybody; retailers get better-trained staff, the Met gets specials, staff get something out of being a Special.
Neil adds: “The Met provide this in association with Transport for London, who benefit of course from more police officers travelling on their trains and buses, on top of the regular full-time officers who have had this concession for a long time. Even though they’re off duty, that reassurance is there. For ShopWatch recruits, this means that their commute to their day job is effectively free, and means an increase in take-home pay from not having to buy a Travelcard, which for 2005 for all London zones is just short of £1600.”
