Independent supermarket - shrinkage control

What international research shows

Published findings on this kind of intervention elsewhere, not results measured on this site.

• A randomised controlled trial across 47 retail stores tested in-aisle CCTV domes and public-view monitors and found positive evidence that visible cameras reduce opportunities for theft in real store conditions.

  Source: Hayes & Downs (2011), Controlling retail theft with CCTV domes, CCTV public view monitors, and protective containers: a randomized controlled trial, Security Journal 24(3)

• A study of 392 restaurants found that after they adopted software that monitors point-of-sale transactions for theft, theft fell by 22% and average weekly revenue rose by about 7%, driven mainly by changed staff behaviour rather than staff turnover.

  Source: Pierce, Snow & McAfee (2015), Cleaning House: The Impact of Information Technology Monitoring on Employee Theft and Productivity, Management Science 61(10)

• A 40-year meta-analysis of 76 CCTV evaluations found about 14% lower odds of crime in areas with CCTV than in comparable areas without it. The effect was modest overall, and the review found no significant effect on violent crime, which is why cameras work best as one layer alongside access control and response.

  Source: Piza, Welsh, Farrington & Thomas (2019), CCTV surveillance for crime prevention: a 40-year systematic review with meta-analysis, Criminology & Public Policy, as summarised by the US National Institute of Justice's CrimeSolutions