Many retailers don’t have CCTV fitted in their shops, perhaps because they are situated in a low crime rate area, they trust their employees implicitly and don’t feel that a CCTV system would provide them with any benefit.

Whilst they have such a high level of trust in their staff and the community and whilst this trust should always be rewarded, there may be times when it isn’t. Opportunistic shoplifters do exist and if a retailer was burgled, without CCTV footage to provide evidence of the crime, the police may not be able to pursue a case and successfully prosecute, meaning the business could lose out financially.

Other uses for CCTV

CCTV cameras are also particularly useful for tracking footfall within a retail business, highlighting patterns of activity and allowing retailers to better understand their customers’ needs. CCTV allows retailers to see what days and times of the day are busiest for them, and also what products are most popular. This information is invaluable as it allows them to staff the business appropriately, saving money by adjusting staffing numbers when they know the business will be quieter and boosting numbers to provide a high level of customer service support at busier times. 

CCTV can also prevent false compensation claims. It is a sad sign of the times that this is necessary but without video surveillance, it is impossible to determine whether a claim related to a trip or fall in your workplace is valid and a claim against your business could result in increased insurance premiums if nothing else.

CCTV need not be an expensive, round-the-clock, fully monitored solution either. Modern CCTV camera live streams are accessible via mobile phones and many have inbuilt motion detectors which can notify you of intruders outside of normal working hours, allowing you to check, record and take appropriate action when necessary.

CCTV can be highly beneficial but remember to abide by UK data protection and privacy laws when citing cameras.