More Retailers Equip Staff with Body Cams to Fight Theft
H&M joins growing list of retailers giving staff bodycams to combat theft
H&M has become the latest retailer to equip UK staff with body cameras as part of efforts to tackle soaring shoplifting and violent attacks on workers. The Swedish fashion giant is trialling the technology at stores in Edinburgh, Wood Green, and Beckton, London, amid growing concerns about organised theft and abuse in shops.

A H&M spokesman told This is Money: “We’re testing this new technology in a three-store pilot to assess what beneficial impact it may have, along with proper staff customer service training, on de-escalating and reducing incidents for the safety of both our colleagues and customers.”

The small wearable cameras clip onto staff clothing and record incidents in real time, providing crucial evidence to the police. H&M joins other major retailers including Tesco, the Co-op, and Lidl, which have introduced bodycams following a spike in shoplifting and violent incidents.

The British Retail Consortium reports shoplifting incidents rose 20% last year, with violent and abusive episodes against staff hitting 2,000 daily.

Despite heavy investment in security — £1.8bn industry-wide last year — shoplifting and staff assaults continue to rise. Retailers have also adopted new measures like anti-theft devices on everyday groceries and databases sharing images of prolific offenders to support police action.

In September 2023 Tesco chief Ken Murphy revealed that all frontline staff would be offered bodycams after a surge in attacks.

Labour has pledged to make assaults on retail workers a distinct offence under the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, with potential sentences of up to six months in prison. retailgazette.co.uk


Is California's Anti-Theft Push Making Retailers Think Twice About Leaving?
Nordstrom makes cautious return to San Francisco after closing flagship store

But it’ll look different as California retailers continue to crack down on theft

In 2023, Nordstrom closed its flagship store in San Francisco after 35 years, leaving some local shoppers sad and disheartened. The company cited the changing "dynamics" of the area and the rising crime as key reasons for pulling out, according to CNN.

Now, shoppers may soon have a reason to celebrate. Nordstrom is returning to the city — with a catch. The company plans to open a new “Nordstrom Local” storefront at 1919 Fillmore in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, a move many see as a cautious reentry into San Francisco's shifting retail landscape.

Rather than a full-scale department store, Nordstrom Local is a smaller-format concept offering online order pickups, returns, tailoring and personal styling appointments. It won’t carry traditional retail inventory. Colleen Delaney, who lives nearby, sees it as a welcome sign of recovery.

Nordstrom isn’t the only major retailer that closed locations due to theft and safety concerns. In the last two years, Target, Walgreens, Old Navy and even Whole Foods have shuttered stores in downtown San Francisco, citing rampant shoplifting and operational challenges post-pandemic.

So, does Nordstrom’s return suggest that retail theft is no longer a concern?

New anti-theft laws could have the potential to encourage retailers like Nordstrom to return. The brand's move to open a Nordstrom Local is more than a symbolic comeback — it’s strategic. By offering services instead of stocking shelves, the retailer likely aims to avoid the challenges faced by its former downtown location.

Without merchandise on display, the new store is far less attractive to would-be thieves. With lower overhead, reduced risk and a more neighborhood-friendly footprint, similar to Target’s smaller “City Target” concept, Nordstrom’s return isn’t just about restoring its presence, it’s creating some protection too. moneywise.com


Are Anti-Theft Measures Doing More Harm Than The Criminals?
Anti-theft measures at CVS are 'worse for business than organized shoplifting,' columnist argues

Security barriers and locked cases may be costing the pharmacy chain more in lost sales than shoplifting ever did

One liberal columnist believes that CVS's anti-theft measures are alienating customers. Washington Post contributing columnist Matt Bai argued Monday that the drugstore chain’s efforts to prevent rising theft may be killing profits more than theft itself.

"As you might have read, CVS and other pharmacies have been struggling to contain a rise in thefts by gangs of fast-moving thieves. Unfortunately for CVS, the solution might be worse for business than the organized shoplifting," he wrote.

In recent years, CVS and other similar drug stores have experienced a rise in frequent, organized theft, especially in major U.S. cities where crime has risen.

A recent survey by the National Retail Federation found that 70% of retailers believe organized retail theft has become a more prevalent issue in recent years. As a result of these and similar crimes, big chain stores like CVS and others have been forced to lock up merchandise behind glass and plastic barriers to keep it from being stolen off the shelves.

But the Washington Post columnist complained that these barriers have altered his "relaxing" CVS shopping experience. foxbusiness.com


New Zealand's Retail Crime Crackdown
Opinion: Crackdown on retail crime is a welcome dose of reality
The recent changes to New Zealand’s retail crime laws are not just timely - they're long overdue.

For those of us tasked with town centre management and running security teams in busy commercial districts, the changes are a breath of fresh air in an environment that’s been steadily deteriorating.

The Government’s new measures - tougher penalties for repeat offenders, retail theft infringement notices, increased funding for police visibility, and streamlined processes for trespass and prosecution - are exactly the sort of change retailers have been asking for over the past several years. And from a consumer perspective, it should be comforting to know that finally efforts are being made to sort out the current mess of retail crime.

But to the critics of these moves - mostly armchair commentators - I say this: your idealism is not only out of touch, it's enabling. The idea that most retail crime can be whittled down to a by-product of poverty or social neglect, and that offenders are victims of systemic failure, ignores the very real and recurring damage being done daily to retailers, staff, customers and entire communities. It's not theoretical for us. It’s not a policy paper. It’s smashed shop windows, traumatised workers and a growing sense that lawlessness is tolerated. thepost.co.nz

   RELATED: Police must lean in to new retail crime penalties


Incorrect Data Skews California Crime Report
California says crime is down. But officials know the data is flawed
The California Department of Justice this week published a major report, and a corresponding press release, touting a drop in violent crime across the state. But the data underlying the report is substantially flawed — thanks to a big mistake that the DOJ was made aware of last year after Chronicle reporting, but did not fix.

This year, the state again used the faulty numbers in its report, despite knowing they were incorrect. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said its staff was “unable to go back to prior years and edit data in the system.” In the report, it pointed users to Oakland’s website, saying to “use caution” in comparing 2023 numbers to any other year.

But the state did not heed that advice in its own press release, citing a 6% decrease in violent crime in the state between 2023 and 2024. Had the state corrected the 2023 numbers using the Oakland police data that it linked to, violent crime statewide would have decreased by 2%, according to a Chronicle analysis. sfchronicle.com


Baltimore crime data: Halfway through 2025, violent crime is down 19%

Charlottesville police change course on data-sharing tech amid US immigration crackdown
 

Beyond the Arrest:

Strengthening Retail Safety Through
Judicial Follow-Through
 

Retail Networks Often Compromised Through One Vulnerable Entry Point
“Retailers have to think beyond firewalls and antivirus software”

Cybersecurity Threats Are Escalating in Retail — And Hackers Are Targeting the Supply Chain

By the D&D Daily staff

As retailers expand their digital ecosystems to meet consumer demand, cybersecurity threats are evolving just as rapidly — and the retail sector remains a high-value target for threat actors.

According to recent industry data, retail is now one of the top five industries most frequently targeted by cyberattacks, especially ransomware and supply chain breaches. A growing number of cybercriminal groups are targeting not just retailers directly, but also the vendors, payment platforms, and logistics providers they rely on — a tactic that exposes entire networks to compromise through a single vulnerable entry point.

One of the most concerning trends is the rise of ransomware attacks that freeze point-of-sale systems, disrupt online operations, or lock down warehouse management software. In some cases, attackers use "double extortion" techniques: encrypting a company’s data while also threatening to release sensitive customer or employee information unless a ransom is paid.

Retailers also face heightened risks around third-party integrations. Many use outside vendors for payment processing, e-commerce fulfillment, and IT infrastructure — often without full visibility into how secure those vendors’ systems are. When a third-party provider is breached, the ripple effect can quickly hit the retailer’s operations and reputation.

The National Retail Federation has urged retailers to bolster their cybersecurity posture by regularly auditing third-party risk, implementing endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, and ensuring robust employee training against phishing and credential theft — still two of the most common points of entry.

“Retailers have to think beyond firewalls and antivirus software,” said one cybersecurity expert. “They’re operating in a hyper-connected environment where any weak link — even outside their organization — can be exploited.”

Data privacy regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are also raising the stakes. A data breach doesn’t just come with operational headaches — it can now carry significant legal and financial consequences.

In today’s threat landscape, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It’s a core component of operational resilience — and a growing area of focus for loss prevention and asset protection teams tasked with safeguarding not only merchandise, but also data.


Reshaping the Landscape of Corporate Accountability?
SEC seeks SolarWinds settlement in reversal for agency under new leadership

The decision by the commission, now under Republican control, could reshape the landscape of corporate accountability for cyber incidents.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has reached a settlement with SolarWinds and the company’s chief information security officer, Timothy Brown, to resolve charges stemming from the Russian-backed cyberattack on the company’s systems.

The parties “have reached a settlement in principle that would completely resolve this litigation,” the SEC said in a filing last week with the federal judge in New York who is overseeing the commission’s lawsuit against the company.

Adam Hickey, a partner at Mayer Brown and a former federal prosecutor handling cyber and national security cases, said an examination of the eventual settlement terms would reveal “whether and to what extent the SEC is abandoning certain theories or allegations.”

“So far, the SEC has not moved to rescind the rule requiring cybersecurity disclosures in annual and periodic reports,” he said. “The settlement may or may not point in that direction.” cybersecuritydive.com

 
AI Security Challenges
AI built it, but can you trust it?
In this Help Net Security interview, John Morello, CTO at Minimus, discusses the security risks in AI-driven development, where many dependencies are pulled in quickly. He explains why it’s hard to secure software stacks that no one fully understands. He also shares what needs to change to keep development secure as AI becomes more common.

We’re seeing AI-assisted development pull in hundreds of dependencies from diverse sources at speed. From your perspective, what’s the most urgent security challenge this creates in practice?

In many ways, this isn’t really a new problem. Over the past decade or so, development practices have become increasingly dependent upon an ever expanding set of abstract app frameworks each which have their own collections of packages. In many cases, intending to install just a single package may result in installing dozens of 2nd and 3rd order dependencies and it’s not viable for developers to understand each of them in detail. Thus, developers often end up running a huge stack of software to support their app functionality, with limited understanding of the risk it presents.

What AI worsens here is the expectation of speed and the corresponding diminishment of time to understand what’s being deployed. If developers already struggled to understand the stack they were figuring out on their own, imagine how unlikely it is they will understand the stack that an AI pulls in as part of an app it’s used on. It’s realistically impossible to secure what you don’t understand and my biggest concern with AI’s usage in development is decreasing the ratio of what we actually understand to the larger set of dependencies involved in running a given app. helpnetsecurity.com


Vulnerability Debt: How Do You Put a Price on What to Fix?