Anti-crime pods join the fight against shoplifting and ASB in Darlington

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has invested in two state-of-the-art anti-crime pods to tackle retail crime,anti-social behaviour and violence against shopworkers in Darlington.

In delivering on her promise to increase support for shopkeepers and retail businesses, the County Durham and Darlington PCC provided £7,280 for two Safer Pods to deter shoplifting and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in and outside retail units in Darlington. The technology will also help to prevent abuse and assaults against retail staff and shopworkers and increase their confidence and security.

Safer Pods, developed by Safer Group,are mobile, visible intruder detection units which monitor activity inside or outside a store via a ground level CCTV system.

If a prolific shoplifter enters the store and an incident occurs, retailers can activate the cameras discreetly from an app without challenging the suspect. CCTV evidence can be requested by the police or the store by calling a 24-hour security control room, speeding up the process for gathering evidence and improving image quality.

During a successful trial in the town, the Safer Pods were found to be effective in small retail areas and saved a significant amount of time and resources for officers and retailers.

As a result, the PCC has agreed to fund two Safer Pods in the town - one to tackle ASB and another to focus on shoplifting – until March 2026.

Additional pods are to be installed in other parts of the force area in the coming months.

Retail Crime is a priority under the Safer People Safer Places theme of the PCC’s new Police, Crime and Justice Plan.

In a retail survey conducted by the PCC, 89% of retailers said they wanted more support to tackle shoplifting and theft while 67% said they would like more support to respond and prevent ASB around their store.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “The impact of these devices was phenomenal during the trial, and undoubtedly improved confidence among retailers and shopworkers, who are often victims of crime themselves due to abuse, violence and threats to their safety in-store.

“The technology has several capabilities including advanced motion sensors which means they can be left in store overnight to serve as an intruder alarm. They also have a very loud built-in alarm which can be activated to deter ASB outside retail stores.

“We know offenders often target the same store time and time again, unfazed by the repercussions of their actions. Some even travel to a location to cause issues repeatedly. With the aid of Safer Pods, the prospect of detection and prosecution increases significantly. We have already seen how powerfully they work as a deterrent, with some stores during the trial reporting no shoplifting incidents thanks to the watchful eye of the Safer Pod.

“Retail crime is a key priority in my new Police, Crime and Justice Plan, and I will continue to invest in the technology and resources needed to protect businesses and their staff from criminality.”

The Safer Pods have an anti-tamper function. If someone tries to cover the cameras, an alarm will sound, and the control room will be notified. Once the control room reviews the live footage, they can contact the police.

The technology will help police to identify groups of offenders causing ASB by being placed in hotspot locations across the town.

The force has reviewed ASB and shoplifting incidents over the past 12 months to determine the most suitable locations for the devices.

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