The total cost of crime and crime prevention for retailers was £1.9 billion last year, up 12% from the previous year (£1.7bn). This was made up of £900 million direct cost from retail crime, and £1 billion spent in efforts to prevent crime.

The direct costs of crime included a £700 million loss arising from customer theft, a 31% rise on the previous year. The total cost of crime, at £1.9bn, is equivalent to approximately 20% of the estimated profits of the entire retail industry.

The human cost of criminal enterprise was also laid bare as the survey revealed that 115 retail employees were attacked at work every day. The use of knives by assailants was pointed out as an issue of significant concern.

Approximately 70% of respondents described the police response to retail crime as poor or very poor. And while opinions showed the police response was generally better for violent incidents, as compared to customer theft or fraud, only 20% of respondents considered the response good or excellent. 

Clare Gardiner, the National Cyber Security Centre’s Director of Engagement, said, “The NCSC is committed to helping to improve the UK’s cyber security, which is why we have worked in partnership with the British Retail Consortium to produce the BRC Cyber Security Toolkit.

“Cyber attacks can have a huge impact, but to help potential victims pro-actively defend themselves we have published a range of easy-to-implement guidance on our website.

“Organisations can also share threat intelligence in a confidential way through the NCSC’s online Cyber Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP), which increases awareness to dangers and reduces the impact on UK businesses.”

The BRC is working with a number of organisations to campaign for greater protections for retail workers.

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary said, “Life on the frontline of retail can be pretty tough for many shop workers and there is still a lot to do to help protect them. We launched our Freedom From Fear Campaign in the face of growing concerns amongst retail staff about violence, threats and abuse. The campaign works with employers to promote respect and make shops safer for staff.

“It is time for the Government to act by providing stiffer penalties for those who assault workers; a simple stand-alone offence that is widely recognised and understood by the public, police, CPS, the judiciary and most importantly criminals. Shopworkers are on the frontline of helping to keep our communities safe, they have a crucial role that must be valued and respected.”

A consortium of UK cyber security experts including UCL academics is to support global businesses to tackle online threats and protect themselves from cybercrime.

The Local Government Association (LGA) says the height threshold at which automatic fire suppression systems are required in residential buildings should be lowered to 18 metres, down from the current 30-metre/10-storey limit.

It is also urging the Government to require automatic fire suppression systems to be installed in all new premises where vulnerable people sleep, including care homes and residential schools.

The LGA says existing proposals for a 30-metre threshold is too high given the practicalities of firefighting. Cllr Ian Stephens, chair of the LGA’s fire services management committee, told the LGA’s annual fire conference in Brighton: "Residents have a right to be safe and to feel safe in their homes and automatic fire suppression systems, which can include sprinklers, offer a strong reassurance that is urgently needed following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

"The cost benefit case for them in new high-rise tower blocks and care homes has been made and retrofitting needs to be considered in existing buildings as part of a holistic approach to fire safety. Sprinklers alone are not a universal panacea and installation should be proportionate and risk based.

"Nevertheless, the investment required may impact heavily in some areas with large numbers of tower blocks, which is why we are calling on government to provide funding for this work as it has for the remediation of flammable cladding."

Overloading electrical sockets, leaving a frying pan on the hob unattended and putting an electrical heater too close to laundry are among the hazards shown in the revamped Fire Kills campaign.

Advertising will run across England on television, radio and online. Fire minister Nick Hurd said: "This hard-hitting campaign shows us how it only takes one small accident to start a devastating fire in your own home. Knowing the safety risks, the little mistakes we can all make, is key to preventing fires. Fire Kills has a long history of helping protect people from fire and we are proud to re-launch it."

The campaign, developed with the help of the National Fire Chiefs Council, also urges the public to test their smoke alarms. Previous Fire Kills campaigns focused on the importance of detecting fires, but the new advertising also places emphasis on prevention by highlighting fire risks around the home. 

National Fire Chiefs Council Chair of Prevention Neil Odin added: "The National Fire Chiefs Council has worked with the Home Office to ensure the Fire Kills campaign is delivering wider safety messages to the public. As part of our commitment to the campaign, we will be working with all fire and rescue services across the UK. This is to ensure we are working together to target people who are at a higher risk of fires in their home.

"By making a few simple changes, people can reduce the risk of fire, or by sharing this national advice with friends and family, we can all make a real difference in highlighting risks and reducing the number of fires in the home. I am pleased that the campaign has been extended to wider fire safety messaging, and I look forward to seeing the results and evaluation."

According to the latest Home Office analysis of fires, most accidental fires start with cooking appliances (48 percent), usually by a grill or chip pan catching fire or something flammable being left too close to the cooker, such as a tea towel.

While the majority (90 percent) of homes now have at least one working smoke alarm, 23 percent of people say they never test them. It is recommended that a fire alarm is fitted on every level of your home, and tested monthly.

You can also view the campaign’s online porta

Following the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, the Mayor asked the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, Dany Cotton, to carry out an urgent review into what extra specialist equipment and support she needed to keep the capital safe. The Mayor then stepped in to authorise £6.8 million funding, the then former Home Secretary Amber Rudd refused a £6 million bid for the vital new kit and equipment – including drones, fire escape hoods and updated uniform - staffing, training and maintenance.

 During a visit to Dockhead fire station in Southwark, the Mayor saw demonstrations of:

• Fire escape hoods – The London Fire Brigade is the first fire and rescue service in the UK to use fire escape hoods to protect members of the public from toxic smoke at incidents. The Brigade now has 649 hoods, which provide up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases - carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein.
• New personal protective equipment (PPE) – The Brigade’s firefighting uniform now includes a tunic and leggings that are lighter in weight than the previous PPE, offering a better fit and comfort for all body shapes.
• ‘Warning Alarm for Stability Protection’ (WASPs) – WASPs are used to monitor structural safety following a building collapse or where a fire has damaged integral beams, columns or load-bearing walls. During the recovery phase of the Grenfell Tower fire, WASPs were loaned to LFB from the Kent Fire and Rescue Service, allowing blue light services to work in places where there were concerns about the structural integrity of the building. LFB now has two of its own WASPs.
• Simba, the fire investigation dog – Simba is part of the LFBs award-winning dog section and is trained to pinpoint the cause of fires by sniffing out ignitable substances such as petrol and lighter fluid.
• Drones – Drones are improving firefighter safety by providing an aerial view of incidents. The thermal display allows Incident Commanders to gain better situational awareness, helping them to plan for the safe resolution of an incident.

Sadiq Khan said: “Our firefighters risk their lives every day to keep London safe and it is vital that they have the specialist equipment they need to do their jobs. This new state-of-the-art equipment, including innovative fire escape hoods, are already helping the fire service to save more lives. I am determined to ensure our brave firefighters have the resources and support required to face the challenges of the future.”

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton added: “We are at the forefront of developing and introducing new equipment to protect Londoners and keep our firefighters safe.

“We continually review the tools we use and this demonstration is an essential opportunity for the Mayor to see some of our newest equipment in action.”

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has experienced brutal cuts, with 131 firefighter positions slashed between 2010 and 2018 – a 17% reduction in the workforce. The proposed cuts would see a further 70 firefighter posts axed in the area, cutting numbers by 22% since 2010.

This follows a December 2018 report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) voicing “serious concerns” about the service’s effectiveness and efficiency in keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks.

Proposals from Surrey County Council would see drastic reductions to fire cover at night, with Egham, Painshill and Banstead fire stations closed at 18:00. Fire cover at Guildford, Woking, Camberley, and Fordbridge would be cut in half.

The drastic reductions to firefighter availability at night are under the guise of what the council calls “risk-based cover”, as more fires occur during the day than in the evening. But the FBU warns that, despite this, there is a far greater chance of fire deaths at night, as victims are often asleep.

Home Office figures show that, from 2017-18, 73% of all deaths from residential fires and 77% of all deaths from accidental residential fires occurred between the hours of 18:00 and 09:00.

Response times in the area have already suffered, with it now taking nine minutes and 13 seconds for a crew of four firefighters to arrive at a fire, the longest response time for Surrey on record. In 1994/5, it took just six minutes and 52 seconds to send a larger crew of five, showing the cumulative effect of decades of cuts to the service.

FBU Surrey brigade secretary Lee Belsten said: “The council’s claim that these cuts are ‘risk based’ is ludicrous. Slashing night-time cover leaves the public exposed when they are most at risk of fatality. These proposals offer no improvement in public safety and do nothing to address how firefighters are supposed to keep themselves safe.

“Surrey received a damning report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate last year and consistently fails to achieve its agreed response time. It is incomprehensible that the council plans to respond to this situation with further brutal cuts.

“The residents of Surrey deserve better. The council have relentlessly cut life-saving public services, while increasing council tax year on year. The public are being short-changed; receiving a less effective, less efficient service, that costs more while leaving them at greater risk”.

The joint publication: A Guide for Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets; A publication for housing associations, landlords, building owners and local authorities in England, relates to new doorsets and is the product of DHF (Door & Hardware Federation), Secured by Design (SBD) and the Fire Industry Association (FIA).

The publication brings together the best collaborative advice available from the industry in one straightforward document to highlight the fundamental issues of fire safety and security for those selecting fire doorsets.

Importantly, the publication makes the point that there is no conflict between fire and security with Building Regulations ADB (fire) and ADQ (security) carrying equal weight with neither taking precedence over the other.  It explains why only factory produced doorsets can meet both ADB and ADQ.

Specifiers can have confidence in using the publication as an authoritative source of information as they are guided through the complexities of an extremely important area of Building Regulations to help them make informed choices.

The publication, which can be downloaded from any of the co-operating organisations websites, comes in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy and in response to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Governments’ (MHCLG) Implementation Plan – ‘Building a Safer Future’, released at the end of December 2018.  

This new guidance document, which launched in March of this year, recommends that all fire doorsets are factory-prepared (as opposed to prepared on-site), and furthermore, audited by a third-party.  It is suggested these recommendations will offer greater assurance on door performance and protect occupants, control the spread of fire and enable safer, easier escape in the event of an incident. 

“We are delighted to have collaborated with SBD and FIA, in sharing our joint expertise on doorsets and fire safety,” explains DHF’s CEO, Bob Perry. “It seemed a natural partnership to come together and offer guidance on what to look for in a flat entrance doorset, how this relates to the latest advice supplied by Government (MHCLG) and why third-party certification of fire and security doorset manufacture, installation and maintenance is a critical part of the protection against fire ingress and unlawful entry.

“Third party certification of manufacture, installation, maintenance and inspection of fire, smoke and security doors is something DHF has lobbied for tirelessly, as well as issues surrounding poorly or ill-fitting door closers,” he continues.  “These form a vital part of fire safety.”

FIA’s CEO, Ian Moore, says: “We are very pleased to work with DHF and Secured by Design in producing a guidance document to assist housing associations, landlords, building owners and local authorities on what to look for in a new flat entrance doorset and why third-party certification of fire doorset manufacture, installation and maintenance is a critical part of fire protection.  This underlines the Fire Industry Association’s objective to improve and perfect fire protection work and builds on MHCLG guidance within the Government’s building safety programme.  It is worth noting that although this document is specific to England and Wales, it is also useful information for Northern Ireland and Scotland.”

Chief Operating Officer of Secured by Design, Jon Cole, emphasised how important it is for the three organisations to work together to provide a holistic overview: 

He said: “For many years, we have worked closely with national and local government, manufacturers, trade associations and standards authorities at home and abroad to establish effective security standards in the building and construction industry. We insist on United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited independent, third-party certification to provide product control and to ensure that specification and quality is maintained over time.”

“Third party certification, by suitably qualified bodies, has certainly delivered consistency and quality within the security sector.  This is why we have campaigned for flat entrance doorsets to have dual certification, meeting all the relevant requirements for security and fire resistance in a single combined design specification.  We believe that certification remains the best and only way to assure that effective quality products are delivered to market, providing additional assurance of performance .”

(PI) Hello Jarod, what are the biggest challenges you see facing the Security industry at the moment? 

(JB) The biggest challenges we are seeing within the security industry Philip, are cybersecurity, commoditisation, interoperability and the impact of Internet of Things (IoT).  Cybersecurity is touching everything and remains increasingly challenging. The commoditisation of surveillance systems is creating market pressure on all levels for integrators, distributors and manufacturers.  This is leading to market consolidation so  mergers and acquisitions will continue over the next few years.  

Interoperability is a must, as buyers become more educated and aware of complete solutions, they must be tested rigorously to ensure that preferred products and legacy or new systems work together to meet their needs (for today and the future). Cameras are considered one of, if not the most, significant sensor in the IoT market.  The amount of metadata a camera can provide is an opportunity for industry members to show greater utility and provide increased functionality.

Anixter is investigating several options to harden our security offering with unique hardware and software upgrades that differentiate our customers, add value for the end user and reduce commoditisation. 

In order to stay informed on the rapid changes in cybersecurity interoperability and IoT expansions into smart cities, buildings and homes, we serve on many security committees like ONVIF and OSSA (Open Security & Safety Alliance). Our customers also have access to our Technical Support Services (TSS) team and our UK Solutions Briefing Center to discuss, review and test technologies that could improve their operations.  

(PI) Anixter are in a unique position as a barometer for the effect Brexit is having on businesses, what are you seeing and what is your greatest concern?

(JB) It is a challenging time for international companies trying to gauge and prepare for the business impact of Brexit on their organisations.  Anixter has established a Brexit team who are closely monitoring the situation and preparing our business for the various scenarios that may arise. As a supply chain expert, it’s critical for us to be close to our customers, around the world. Because we have physical presence and warehousing across EMEA we feel we are in a position to be able to mitigate any adverse effects of Brexit in any form and continue the high-quality service delivery we are known for. 

(PI) As a founding partner for The Security Event what is it about the event that made you want to be there from the start?

(JB) We felt that the a UK-focused security professional and installer exhibition in the Midlands would give us a great opportunity to re-connect with this geographical base, and consolidate our positioning in the market as a complete security solutions partner in our vital UK market. 

(PI) What are the most exciting technologies you are seeing and why?

(JB) The evolution of premise network is the most exciting technology.  In the 90s we witnessed consolidation of the disparate communication cabling and protocols around Ethernet, in the 00s we witnessed voice being integrated to IP-based networks and over the past 10 to 15 years, security systems have migrated to IP-enabled devices. 

We are seeing operational technologies related to lighting, building management systems and industrial controls beginning to migrate onto the network and away from legacy communication protocols. When you consider the intelligence opportunity within a smart city, smart building or even a smart home we begin to see the real advantages the IoT and meta data will provide. The rapid development and expectation of billions of devices all communicating over IP will bring vast improvement to the operational efficiency of originations as well as a great opportunity to the integration market. This rapid change will bring challenges around knowledge, solutions that can communicate with all these devices, cybersecurity concerns and a consolidation of the market.  

Anixter is conducting surveys, customer interviews and gathering other “Voice of Customer” data to craft solutions with our partners that leverage existing technologies that allow us to bridge for the Ethernet/IoT future so they can reap the benefits of tomorrow’s technology today.

(PI) Where do you think the biggest developments will be in the next few years?

(JB) Devices that do more for less is a driving trend. Twenty years ago, we had a camera that provided a video image, then we moved to telemetry controls down the coaxial cable and the capability to receive alarms event back form the camera, then audio, then power and then IP came along. Now we have Data. 

Data gives us the ability to communicate with other devices and allow the system to make decisions. Video analytics reliability and accuracy have improved in recent years thanks to the amount of data and processing power available at the edge device (camera) and server but additional applications for this information is yielding multiple opportunities for the future. Products are in development and some close to market that consider/incorporate behavior analysis – so the system can analyse the emotion within a scene, make a decision and present information based on that decision. This is a huge step in operational efficiency in the control room!

Another development we believe we will see in the next few years is the emergence of 5G communication that will allow improvements in deployment time, location and what we transmit from potentially any location. Anixter is perfectly positioned with our technical sales and TSS teams, supply chain services and pre- and post-sales support to meet our customers physical security and data transmission needs, whether they are based on wired or wireless technology. 

(PI) What keeps you awake at night?

(JB) Cybersecurity is the biggest threat to the Internet of Things and this includes every IP-enabled device in the security industry from camera to. The integrator knowledge is increasing on how to secure the network and the device which is what we need as security professionals but what else could be a problem?

Manufacturers have stepped up and addressed the security of their products. We often see new firmware to address potential security problems but does this firmware end up in the device? 

So, we should be concerned and driven to consider what can be done to provide that reassurance to the customer and the integrator that the firmware update that solves the cybersecurity issues is required, reliable, works and is easily deployed. And that it gets done. 

Anixter will continue to be an advocate for customers and help them with the changing environment of cybersecurity and the hardening of the devices at their locations.  

You can visit Anixter on Stand SE106 at The Security Event on 9-11 April 2019 at NEC, Birmingham. The Security Event offers more than 50 hours of CPD accredited seminar sessions and will see 12,000+ delegates have access to 375+ exhibition stands. It's FREE to attend and you also get free parking all you need to do is register by CLICKING HERE.

Eighty percent of survey respondents believe it's becoming more difficult to find skilled cybersecurity professionals. As emerging technology and threat landscapes experience rapid transformation, the skillsets needed change as well. Nearly all respondents (93 percent) say the skills required to be a great security professional have changed over the past few years.

"The skills gap issue continues to worsen," said David Meltzer, chief technology officer at Tripwire, "which is troubling, since cybersecurity threats only continue to grow. Additionally, security teams are in search of new skillsets to deal with evolving attacks and more complex attack surfaces as they include a mix of physical, virtual, cloud, DevOps and operational technology environments. It's becoming more difficult to maintain critical security controls, and there are fewer people available to do it."

The survey found that while 85 percent report their security teams are already understaffed, only 1 percent believe they can manage all of their organization’s cybersecurity needs when facing a shortage of skilled workers. Nearly all respondents (96 percent) say they are either currently facing difficulty in staffing security teams due to the skills gap or can see it coming. Of those, 68 percent are concerned with losing the ability to stay on top of vulnerabilities, 60 percent worry about being able to identify and respond to issues in a timely manner and stay on top of emerging threats, and 53 percent fear they will lose their ability to manage and secure configurations properly.

In addition, respondents were also asked if they would benefit from outside security help and if so, in what areas, with the following results: 

• Ninety-three percent say they would benefit from security help outside of their organizations.
• Seventy-one percent say their teams would benefit from security assessment help, 53 percent say penetration testing, and 51 percent say vulnerability management.
• Ninety-four percent say they have invested in or are likely to invest in managed services for security.

Lamar Bailey, senior director of security research at Tripwire added, "Because security teams are stretched thin, it’s going to be more important than ever to build strong partnerships. Organizations can collaborate with trusted vendors to take pressure off their in-house resources. Approaches could include more automation of security tasks and support through managed service to ensure that no critical security controls are dropped. Maintaining a strong foundation of security is non-negotiable, so it’s imperative that organizations partner across the info security community to continue meeting security goals effectively."

To view the full 2019 Tripwire Skills Gap Report, please visit: https://www.tripwire.com/misc/skills-gap-survey-2019 

Chief superintendent Nik Adams used a speech at the Counter Terror Expo at Hammersmith’s Olympia on Wednesday 6 March 2019 to announce his bid to increase the number of Prevent referrals coming from the private sector.

Of 7318 Prevent referrals in 2017/18, less than 1% came from businesses, which Nik Adams believes is a worrying gap in the UK’s safeguarding scheme.

“Experience tells us that the people most likely to spot the signs of radicalisation are those closest to the victims,” he said.

“That could be friends, family, teachers and, crucially, co-workers and colleagues. But referrals from the private sector are still rare, and that represents a risk not just to the person being radicalised, but to the UK’s security and even the business itself.

“We know that the earlier the intervention, the easier it becomes to safeguard those vulnerable to radicalisation. So, the more people we can train to spot those signs, the better.

“What I am asking businesses to think about today is simple, if someone on your workforce was suspected of being a victim of radicalisation, would you know how to react?”

The private sector already play an important role in the delivery of the Government’s CONTEST strategy, contributing time, money and expertise to improve the protective security of their infrastructure and staff thanks to training and guidance under the Protect and Prepare pillars.

By adding Prevent training to the wealth of information available to the private sector from Counter Terrorism Policing, Nik Adams hopes that the benefits will be felt not only in the UK’s collective security, but also within the organisations themselves.

“When terrorist suspects are arrested, it can result in searches being carried out at places of work, and colleagues may be required to give interviews to police. This can obviously create disruption and anxiety for the workforce, but also may have negative reputational impact,” he said.

“But if we can look upstream from these threats and prevent individuals from reaching that point in the first place, then we can not only protect the victim of the radicalisation but also the business itself.

“Effective Prevent delivery could not only help to safeguard your staff and wider society, but also safeguard your business from these negative effects.”

Businesses are advised to:

• Contact your local Police Prevent team to receive information from an expert, or find out more at www.gov.uk/ACT
• Consider how you might deliver Prevent training to your staff.
• Consider your business’s HR policies in regards to safeguarding and staff welfare – do they include information about how to deal with radicalisation?
• Nominate a Prevent representative for your organisation to help coordinate training and staff communications.
• Nominate local Prevent representatives to cascade information throughout your organisation.
• Establish contact between your newly-appointed Prevent representative and your regional Police Prevent teams to open a referral pathway.