Retail Radio
Retail Radio is a handheld radio system that enables retailers to communicate with other stores in our six town centres – Balham, Clapham Junction, Putney, Roehampton, Tooting and Wandsworth (Southside). It is monitored by our CCTV control room and the borough's Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams. The system is used to alert stores to suspicious characters or fraudulent behaviour in the area, to alert CCTV to monitor specific areas for suspect activity and to communicate with Safer Neighbourhood Teams (though 999 remains the prime emergency number).

Retail radio:

• provides a very fast and secure way for shops to exchange vital information about actual and attempted thefts, assaults, fraud and other retail crime;
• alerts everyone listening to the transmission simultaneously;
• helps reduce retail theft and other types of crime;
• is successfully used in shopping centres throughout the UK;
• is low cost and subsidised.

Participating retailers are provided with a handheld radio on a local frequency, enabling them to contact all the local users simultaneously. After payment of a one-off joining fee of £45, the radios are provided by the Council at a cost of around £16 per month. This will be invoiced annually at £196. The service provides fully supported use of a radio, two batteries and a battery charger for as long as the retailer remains in the scheme (comparable commercial schemes are over £500pa). If you are a retail manager and wish to join the Retail Radio scheme or are already signed up and have a query, please contact us.