Lodge Security provides protection for Poundland stores and centres across the UK

Lodge Security is to provide protection for Poundland stores and distribution centres throughout the UK. Over the past two years Lodge Security has been operating its Elite Store Detective programme from the LodgIC Intelligence Centre, where national and local data on crime incidents is analysed and used to deploy protection to produce the maximum return on security investment.

Sarah Frain, Profit Protection & Assurance manager, Distribution and CSC at Poundland, says: "Lodge Security has worked with Poundland for more than 5 years and has provided a great service which has now developed with technology additions to achieve an even more effective solution. The operatives we receive from Lodge are always highly trained and professional when dealing with day-to-day issues and figures are reported back clearly to management. Furthermore, they provide confidence to our staff whilst making them feel safe and secure in the workplace.”

Analysing the patterns of criminal activity

Poundland and Lodge are now examining new opportunities to deploy other technology that is available from the intelligence centre. This includes the capability to analyse retail transactions through the use of Transpeye for data mining of EPoS, online transactions and other store systems, to then identify any sources of loss in real time and the relationships between apparently isolated incidents.

Lodge can analyse and track any patterns of criminal activity to enable the investigative team to attribute recurring losses to known criminals and gangs

Lodge can then analyse and track any patterns of criminal activity, to enable the investigative team to attribute recurring losses to known criminals and gangs, who can be identified from in-store CCTV recordings. Perpetrators are then stopped in-store by Lodge Security detectives.

Preventing organised retail crime

In many instances Lodge has been able to track a gang’s activity around the UK and assess the probability of where and when they might strike next.

“Retailers are increasingly alert to the scale of the threat from Organised Retail Crime. A string of small, seemingly unrelated criminal acts are often committed by the same gang; if they think they can get away undetected each time they will keep coming back.

“Through the blended use of our specialist teams in the field and technology, our intelligence centre is quickly able to map related losses and then stop them fast,” says Stuart Lodge, CEO of Lodge Service International, a third generation family-run business that celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019.