Jenners workers given tips on thieves' tricks

Published on Friday 20 July 2007 11:57

ONE of the city's top department stores has welcomed a new police anti-shoplifting initiative.

Jenners is one of the first stores to sign up to a new scheme to give information sessions to hundreds of retail workers in the city.

Shop staff are to be warned about thieves' "tricks of the trade" and will learn of the different profiles of shoplifters, as well as the types of goods they are more likely to target.

Common shoplifting tactics such as causing diversions to distract staff or putting items in foil-lined bags to avoid alarms will also be outlined.

Similar sessions in Glasgow have been credited with cutting shoplifting by more than 41 per cent over the past seven years.

Edward McInally, Jenners' loss prevention manager, said: "Our involvement in this project is working in partnership with Lothian and Borders Police and other retailers to take preventative action against retail theft.

"The project has been successful in other cities and we are hoping to produce the same results in Edinburgh."