Training videos launched to help protect shopworkers
Following the successful national week of action to support businesses and reduce business crime last week, the NBCC has today (27/10) launched a series of training videos aimed at those working in the retail sector.
The four videos are designed to support and empower shopworkers when dealing with challenging customers and situations which have the potential to escalate into abusive or violent confrontations.
The short digestible animations provide shopworkers with practical advice and strategies to deal with issues they are likely to face on a regular basis including; dealing with and interacting with suspected thieves, saying no, personal safety and de-escalation and dealing with disruptive and anti-social behaviour.
Supt Patrick Holdaway from the NBCC said: “The reality is that most shopworkers face abuse, threats and physical violence on a regular basis. Many of them work for small independent retailers who don’t have the resources or budget to provide them with the training and tools they need to deal with these situations. We recognise there is a gap there and decided to commission a suite of four training videos covering the most likely issues shopworkers have to deal with.
“We will be working with our partners in retail to promote the videos far and wide and encourage anyone who owns or manages a retail outlet to use this free resource and equip their staff with the skills and resilience to do everything they can to stay safe at work.”
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Crime Report 2021 stated that, on average, there were 455 violent or abusive incidents every day of the year in the year ending March 2020, the year before the pandemic.
The president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, Jason Birks added: “The resource provided by the NBCC is a critical tool for retailers. The safety of our members, their families, and staff is paramount to the Fed and retail crime therefore remains a top priority in our political agenda. Retail crime affects so many businesses and resources which provide advice on keeping retailers and their colleagues safe is invaluable. The Fed welcomes the videos provided by the NBCC and I urges our members and their staff to watch these”.
The Association of Convenience Stores government relations director Edward Woodall went on to say: “The NBCC training videos are an invaluable resource for convenience retailers and their staff for managing crime in their business and keeping store colleagues safe. We are encouraging our members to share these resources with their teams that will complement the millions of pounds that local shops invest each year in crime prevention measures.”
The videos, which were produced by Maybo, are available to download on the website:
Shopworker Videos (nbcc.police.uk)
