Although the normal crime rate dropped during the 2004 Sydney Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the British Police are not anticipating a similar drop during the London 2012 Games. The Games coincide with the school holidays and the Notting Hill Carnival, and the thousands of extra visitors into London make an increase in bag snatches, pick-pocketing and shop-lifting very likely. That was the view at a recent meeting of the UK Cafe, Dining and Hospitality Loss Prevention Forum.
The Forum was established in the summer of 2010. Personnel responsible for security and risk management regularly meet to share information and best practice in a bid to tackle crime and the losses felt by restaurants, cafes and hospitality venues. Signed-up members so far include many of the biggest high street names: Starbucks, Costa Coffee, EAT, Compass Group UK & Ireland, The Gondola Group, Tragus, Harrods, KFC, Greggs, and SSP UK and Ireland.
Sally Kee, head of partner and asset protection for Starbucks UK & Ireland and EMEA, shared knowledge from Starbucks’ Canadian business, which recently experienced the winter Olympics.
“Planning ahead and preparation is really important and this enables employees to cope more effectively during this exciting and busy trading period. This was one of our biggest takeaways from Vancouver, which ultimately enabled our Canadian business to meet customer needs while also ensuring their safety. Other considerations are increased numbers of employees and potentially training.”
Kee recommended Project Griffin, a course developed by the City of London Police to advise and familiarise managers, security officers and employees on counter-terrorism and crime prevention issues. “It’s about giving people the confidence to more effectively manage new and potentially scary situations,” she commented.
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Getting into work on public transport is likely to be more difficult during the 16 days of the Olympic Games and the 11 days of the Paralympics. Quite apart from transport issues, having adequate levels of staff throughout the summer of 2012 may be a challenge. Ask yourself the following:
There is plenty of general travel advice for businesses on the London 2012 website. Click here for advice or download the Travel Advice for Business Handbook. But specific information regarding route and time restrictions for deliveries does not appear to be available yet.
