A little less conversation, a little more action please…

STEP UP hits the ground running. Elvis would be proud!

(Not so) fun fact: last weekend I managed to lose six golf balls in one round. SIX!

But I lost them all in popular spots, it would seem, so I actually came home with more than I had at the start. I suppose that’s an example of getting what you can out of a pretty torrid situation.

With some things though, silver linings can shift the whole picture.

I wonder if this might be the case with our STEP UP initiative. Because let’s face it, our efforts to combat antisocial behaviour (ASB) aren’t going to eliminate the issue.

But through the setbacks and the persistence, we will have wins. We’ll see progress. And what we learn and gain has huge power.

Vision into action

I recently attended one of our senior leadership meetings in Gateshead. Our Guarding team shared updates about how their workstreams are supporting our stores and communities as part of the anti-ASB STEP UP initiative. Every retailer we partner with for guarding was represented at the meeting too. That in itself speaks volumes.

Honestly? I came away genuinely inspired. This initiative feels like it could be seriously special. We’re not just in the business of chatter. There’s no sense at all that this is just ‘hot air’ or blind ambition. I can feel the momentum. I can feel how much it means to everyone involved.

Sorry to dwell on this for a second longer, but every time I stepped up to the tee last weekend, I had a vision for how the shot would go. And (sadly) that vision was not often matched by the action that followed. Fortunately, at work, there’s a much more clear-cut correlation. We do the
thinking. Then we execute.

Brendan Musgrove, our Guarding COO, is spearheading a lot of the work on STEP UP – and it’s clear how much energy is being poured into making this FAR more than a box-ticking exercise. We’re dedicated to breaking the cycle of anti-social behaviour – offering education, engagement, and genuine alternatives to the boredom and peer-pressure that can breed these sorts of behaviours.

In short: we’re trying a full roster of social behaviours to combat the “anti”.

On the ground: what’s happening in practice? Let’s zoom in for a moment on some specific action areas.

Crook, in the Durham area, has seen a serious spike in ASB involving school-age kids. One of our retail partners there has been hit particularly hard. Too often, security efforts in the area have tended to shift the problem on. i.e. the perpetrators will just head to another store. We’ve
partnered with local police to monitor movements of people misbehaving and increase communication among retailers.

We’re also exploring the option of a local sports day in Crook in the coming months – a subtle way to introduce positive pressure. This isn’t about telling them what’s wrong, but giving them something else to lean into. It’ll be part education, part recreation.

That’s just one element of our ever-expanding youth engagement calendar. We’re also consolidating our school and youth outreach programme – giving us structure and continuity in how we talk to young people about behaviour, boundaries, and consequences. We just had a school visit in Oldham which went really really well!

Over in Merseyside, we’re working with local police to deploy and monitor SelectaDNA’s ‘advanced forensic marking’ tech. The idea is: retailers tag their property with spray that contains a unique DNA. If someone engages in ASB or commits a crime, they’ll have that marker on them
(it’s nearly impossible to remove), making it easier for police to link offenders to the crime. More importantly, it deters people from causing trouble in the first place.

Supporting frontline security staff

One of the biggest questions we ask – and get asked – is this: Are security officers equipped to tackle something as complex as ASB? That’s a big part of STEP UP, too. Obviously tools like SelectaDNA add an extra layer of assurance, but it’s far more nuanced than that.

That’s why we’re rolling out subject matter expert-led training and compiling a robust training package to sit alongside our existing guidance on conflict management, ASB and retail security. This isn’t about more theory – it’s about confidence, communication, and giving officers the soft skills that matter in the moment. ASB may feel like an insurmountable challenge, but if they’ve got an arsenal of tools and techniques to draw upon – we can make inroads to stopping it.

Fittingly, we’ve just had International Security Officer Day! Before I worked in Accounts and was heavily involved in this budding ASB initiative, I was a Security Officer myself. A lot of my colleagues were too. We all know that it can be a lonely and frustrating role at times.

That’s why me – and plenty of other senior staff from across ASEL – spent the day out in stores, meeting security officers, checking in, and thanking them for their incredible work. It was also brilliant to speak to so many officers and find out what they’re facing in terms of ASB.

A lot of what security officers do sadly goes under the radar. It was wonderful to take the time to show our appreciation – to give a hug and a smile to brighten their day.

That bit of encouragement goes a long way. It matters.

We’ve now officially launched STEP UP in Durham and Bristol (wahoo!). Retailers in both areas are now equipped with radios and have direct lines of contact with ASEL. We’re watching closely to see what kind of difference we can make – and we’re excited to learn, adapt, and grow.

We know we won’t fix everything at once. But if we keep building relationships, equipping our people, and listening to communities – that’s how the “anti” starts to turn into something more positive.

It’s early days – but the shift from talk to action has begun. And we’re all in.

Rosie Barron

Account Director