My first introduction to the Daleks was as a small child peering from behind the couch as these giant alien wheelie bins threatened to exterminate mankind – zapping humans in flashing monochrome which was all our black and white television would allow us to see from the crimpoline safety of the back of the sofa.

As I went to bed that night I was comforted by my father who said: Don’t worry your bedroom is upstairs and the Daleks don’t do stairs.’ I fell asleep thanking the powers that be that we did not live in a bungalow and wondering how this indomitable alien force could be thwarted by something as basic as a set of stairs, not to mention thick shag carpet.

I am put in mind of these early childhood memories when I think of EAS pedestals. No, they are not alien invaders, but they are a great deterrent to most store thieves. However, introduce a mundane household item like kitchen foil secreted in a bag into the shopping mix and they become Dalek like – a bit redundant.

Ordinarily, tagging systems are a cost effective method of detecting and deterring theft but sometimes they need a helping hand. Professional criminals will go to great lengths to steal and that includes defeating tagging systems by placing stolen, but still tagged, items in foiled lined bags.

Now enter the latest space age technology.  MetalGuard is a foil detecting device from Denmark  that is now distributed in the UK. It sits adjacent to any existing tagging system and linked to a remote alarm pager and/or CCTV system any unusual large metal objects passing through the system will trigger a silent alarm, so that any potential thief will be unaware as to whether the system has detected them or not. There is also a very powerful, proven visual deterrent effect, stopping many potential thieves from even attempting to enter a store.

Because thieves try and be one step ahead, EAS systems providers are now wheeling out deterrents that work on more levels and foil the foilers.

And, as we all know from the modern Dr Who series, Daleks can now fly which is something I will struggle to explain to my Grandson when I tuck him up in bed at night. I could however tell him that retailers are indeed time lords and have successfully tamed some Daleks to stop nasty thieves who are in fact the real aliens who are trying to undermine our way of life.  Wish me luck.