June Security Round-Up

June Security Round-Up

Key Alerts for Hereford Retailers & Town Centre Partners

As part of our commitment to keeping Hereford’s business community informed and protected, Hereford BID brings you the June Security Round-Up. This month, we highlight three pressing issues affecting retailers and town centre partners. We urge all businesses to remain vigilant and take proactive steps to safeguard their staff, stock, and customers.

Distraction Theft Surge Across West Mercia

Retailers and town centre businesses are advised to be on high alert following a significant rise in distraction thefts, particularly targeting elderly individuals in retail parks, supermarkets, and town centres — including Hereford.

Modus Operandi:

Offenders, primarily women believed to be of Eastern European origin, are posing as charity workers.
Victims are approached with a clipboard and asked to fill in personal information including their name, address, signature, and a donation amount.
A bank card is then requested to “verify” the signature — during this process, the distraction allows the theft to take place.

What You Can Do:

Brief your frontline staff and security teams about this tactic.
Increase vigilance in car parks, store entrances, and shared spaces.
Share this alert with neighbouring businesses.
Report suspicious activity via the retail radio system and call 999 if immediate police attention is required.

Food Theft by Delivery Drivers on the Rise

An increasing number of local businesses have reported incidents involving app-based food delivery drivers stealing customer orders. This results in direct financial losses and reputational damage through negative reviews.

Key Issues:

Stolen orders increase waste and refund costs.
Affected businesses risk losing loyal customers due to missed deliveries.

How to Respond:

Use the DISC platform to report delivery driver profiles involved in theft. This will help flag suspicious individuals to other businesses and discourage repeat offences.
If you’re not yet registered on DISC, please contact the BID office for access.

LEGO Shoplifters Targeting Local Stores

 

Toy retailers in Hereford should be particularly cautious, as known shoplifters are actively targeting high-value items, especially LEGO sets.

Key Characteristics:

The suspects are confident and may use verbal aggression to deter staff intervention.
They are operating systematically and may return to target the same premises multiple times.

Action Steps:

Review the profiles and mugshots of known offenders on the DISC security app.
Ensure all staff are briefed and understand how to safely challenge suspicious behaviour.
Share this warning with others in the retail community to create a unified front.

 

Hereford BID and the DISC platform are here to support your business. Regular updates, offender profiles, and reporting tools are available to all BID members at no extra cost. If you need assistance accessing DISC or want to know more about our security initiatives, please contact the BID office.

Let’s continue to work together to protect our businesses and ensure a safe, thriving town centre.

The next security meeitng we are holding is on Tuesday the 8th of Jul, 10am at The Wellington.

Contact: info@herefordbid.co.uk
Stay alert. Report smart. Keep Hereford safe.