BP is seeing some excellent results using the Auror app to tackle shop theft.
Earlier this year, seven people were arrested for shoplifting linked to a BP site in Kingsway, Dundee, which had experienced 57 separate thefts. Using Auror, BP was able to identify the offenders, gather evidence and share it with police, which resulted in the arrests.
A BP spokesperson says: “Safety comes first at BP, always. We want our colleagues to feel safe at work and our customers to have a great experience when visiting us. Most customer transactions at our retail sites are pleasant and positive.
“Last year, we rolled out the Auror retail crime intelligence platform across our approximately 300 company-owned stores.
“ A top-targeted store was struggling with prolific offending – 80% of the events were committed by a few prolific offenders in January. Using Auror data to work with police, they saw three of the offenders arrested and charged.”
Retailers use Auror to do what they’ve always done in capturing information about crime and anti-social behaviour in their stores. The app allows them to record these events in a secure and structured way, helping to connect events and prolific offenders to what were previously thought of as isolated incidents. This information helps retailers to make informed decisions to protect their people, customers and property.
Retailers log details of thieves and suspects including their gender, build, estimated age and height, any distinguishing features such as tattoos, and information about their behaviour ie whether it was threatening. The software has safeguards built in and all users must comply with Auror’s terms of use, as well as their own internal operating policies. The does not support retailers entering sensitive information such as ethnicity, religious or political affiliation or sexual orientation.
By sharing information across the network of stores using the app, a comprehensive database is compiled of ‘persons of interest’, allowing staff to be put on alert if a repeat offender is spotted nearby. The technology also logs details of crimes – such as time, day and what products were stolen. By analysing data across the network, the app can then detect patterns.
Greggs is also using Auror to tackle shoplifting. Roisin Currie, chief executive of Greggs, told The Mail online: ‘This software works alongside existing in-store initiatives and allows us to work in collaboration with other retailers, sharing knowledge to enable us to identify repeat offenders and inform local authorities who can then take appropriate action.’
Auror VP UK and Europe Mark Gleeson, says: “Auror has modernised how retailers record and manage information about crime in their stores. It allows retailers to move away from unsecured and time-consuming methods like spreadsheets, USB sticks and CDs, chat groups between stores, and public ‘walls of shame’, and gives them a secure, structured, safeguarded and privacy-enhancing platform to collect information about potential crime after it occurs.
“Auror empowers retailers to better collaborate with police and use their intelligence to make informed decisions to protect their people. Importantly, the software does not support retailers entering sensitive information – this helps retailers make decisions based on intel and trends about previous offending.
Auror partners with some of the UK’s largest retailers and is used in more than 10,000 retail stores across the UK.
Auror retailer data reveals that the top 10% of offenders are responsible for more than 70% of crime in retail across the country.
