Shoplifting Prevention

Shoplifting And The Police Force

October 18, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

According to many researchers, gun violence and deaths by firearms have decreased over the last twenty years. And even though mass shootings at schools, bars, and places of work have plunged the country, and communities into grief, the truth is gun violence has been declining nationwide . One of the reasons that they attribute the decline of gun violence to, is the ability of the police force to direct their workforce in the right direction. Using computers and online mediums to share information, they can direct their forces to the neighborhoods where a crime is more likely to occur. Shoplifting for the police, is not on the same level as other violent crimes, and with the resources they have, they Do need to prioritize.

Read more about this topic by following the links.

Shoplifting deemed to be a lower police priority

“All crime is not equal and does not cause the same harm. I think what the public would like us to do, and that’s my experience, they want us to be focused on the harmful crimes.’

SHOPLIFTING has been deemed a lower priority by Leicestershire Police.

The move has caused outrage among business leaders in Loughborough following concerns that over the last few months 62 crimes were reported in the town centre, mainly shoplifting.

Leicestershire Police have adopted the Cambridge Crime Index, which weighs crime in order of harm to the public. Shoplifting has scored low compared to crimes such as domestic violence and child abuse.

Loughborough Police wants to launch FaceWatch, an online shoplifting system which would save police time attending incidents and encourages businesses to fill out a crime report and CCTV over the internet.

The Echo obtained an exclusive interview with assistant chief constable of Leicestershire Police, Phil Kay, who said: “Policing has got less resources – 400 fewer officers than previously.

The Moral, Societal, and Legal Obligation for Theft Prevention

Retailers should be able to demonstrate preventive controls against theft in the workplace.

As a loss prevention professional, it is likely that you have responsibility for detecting, investigating, and resolving internal-theft cases. Doing so may support your organization’s zero-tolerance policy towardinternal theft. Many top retailers rely on their loss prevention departments to give them a competitive advantage by controlling their operational costs through reducing shrinkage and/or accident claims. Some of these retailers have made loss prevention executives officers of the company.

While most retailers have proactive loss prevention programs, a few view theft as a “cost of business.” These retailers may or may not have resources dedicated to detecting and referringdishonest employees to prosecution. However, it is the absence of a proactive loss prevention program that is the most concerning.

Auburn’s RFID lab holds open house

While many prepared for Saturday’s kickoff of the Auburn vs. LSU football game, others explored a more scientific side of the university at Auburn University’s radio frequency identification laboratory Friday afternoon.

The RFID lab, which relocated to Auburn in 2014 from the University of Arkansas, hosted an open house Friday afternoon, showcasing the work and research done at the lab to members of the community.

Tucked away in the university’s administrative building on Glenn Avenue, the 13,000-square-foot lab houses a mockup apparel retail store, simulated warehouse and distribution center areas and more research space. The lab specializes in the implementation of RFID technology in retailers and suppliers.

Manager Justin Patton led the tour, explaining how RFID technology uses electromagnetic fields to help track tags which can be applied to almost anything. The lab works in partnership with Auburn’s colleges of business, engineering and human sciences, giving students hands-on experience.

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What’s Craving Got to Do with Shoplifting?

October 14, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A good loss prevention plan starts with focusing on the basics. One of the basics is to monitor high risk merchandise. For a variety of reasons some items are stolen more often than others. It makes sense that they should be given extra attention and protection.

But, simple as the idea sounds, the problem is in details. Retailers can have difficulty identifying high risk goods and the reasons why they’re being stolen. Ronald Clarke – a criminologist with Rutgers University – developed the acronym CRAVED to help them identify what kinds of goods are vulnerable to theft and why.

Concealable. Items that are easily hidden (pockets, bags, purses, coats) are susceptible to theft, especially if they’re difficult to identify after concealment. Once it’s in a purse, you’d better be very sure you can prove the customer didn’t come in with that lip gloss. This is why cigarettes and baby formula are sold as they are now. They used to be out in the open, easy to remove and conceal.

Removable. For most shoplifters the item must be easy to remove and portable. There’s a reason laptops are stolen more often than PCs. It’s easier to take a T-shirt from the front of the store, rather than the back where the sales people always stand and talk.

Available. These are goods that are easy to find and commonly available. Christmas ornaments are stolen during the holidays more than any other time, including in stores that carry them year round.

Valuable. The value of the product can be monetary or status driven. Real diamond bracelets are kept in locked display cases, while the glass ones are on top. That is until they are trendy, become a target for theft, and have to be moved behind the counter until the trend stops.

Enjoyable. Many of the standard, frequently stolen products (i.e. tobacco, liquor, electronics, jewelry, make-up) are linked to personal satisfaction. They’re usually the ones which are enjoyable to own or consume. Or used for something that’s considered enjoyable to consume, such as ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine.

Disposable. Getting rid of merchandise, without being caught, used to be a big problem for thieves. Now with the ease of selling via the Internet professional shoplifters are targeting products which weren’t easy to get rid of in the past – no more selling out of a car trunk.

Easily disposable isn’t just important for expensive items, disposable razors and batteries are some of the most frequently stolen products. They can be quickly and easily sold or bartered to neighbors, friends and family.

Some goods will always be a target for theft, while others are just a passing consumer fancy. Either way it makes employees’ and managers’ jobs easier if they know what to look for and why it’s happening. People are more willing to commit to and follow loss prevention policies if they understand why they’re needed and what they hope to accomplish.

Nicole Abbott is a professional writer who’s had over 200 articles published. She’s a business consultant and former psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, business and addiction. She’s a coach, lecturer, trainer and facilitator. She has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, seminars and college classes.

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Preventing Shoplifting During The Holiday Season

October 13, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

October is almost half gone and before you know it the holidays will be fast approaching. The beginning of the holiday season for many people starts around thanksgiving, but for the retail industry and the small shop owner the season has already started. Security during this time of year is a challenge for the retail industry to say the least. Preventing shoplifting requires them to be aware of the new trends in technology and decide what will work for them. Will they need to hire more loss prevention personnel? Are the new cameras working as expected? Are the new hires trained and ready for the challenge of stopping a shoplifter? The challenges facing the retail industry are many, and during this time of year, shoplifting and employee theft are very serious concerns for them.

Video Surveillance Tools: Seeing the Big Picture

Before deciding on a digital video security system, learn how the technologies work.

Video surveillance systems have become a mainstay for many loss prevention programs. As the technology evolves and business needs grow more complex, loss prevention leaders are looking for solutions that are both affordable and capable of meeting the escalating demands of the business.

LP Magazine sat down with Mike Dunn, vice president of business development for BSI, to garner his expertise and insights on building effective video surveillance systems and how to get the most out of existing systems to help maximize retailers’ options and investment.

What are the primary considerations when choosing between an analog versus an Internet protocol (IP) camera system?

Before deciding on a video option, it is advisable to first understand how the technologies work, as the differences in both camera technologies and method of video transmission are critical to developing a well-planned video solution.

Shrinkage causes $123b loss to global retailers

Shrinkage is defined as losses from shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors.

The retail sector in the Middle East should adopt effective strategies and solutions to curtail ‘shrinkage’ to improve profitability as it caused up to $123.39 billion in loss to global retailers in 2014-15, experts say.

Referring to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer Study conducted by Checkpoint Systems, the industry experts claimed that shrinkage, defined as losses from shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors, accounted for 1.23 per cent of total retail sales in 2014-15 compared to 0.94 per cent in the previous year.

Jayant Ghosh, business development manager, Checkpoint Middle East and Africa; and Ben Chua, Checkpoint product director for Asia Pacific, said shrinkage increased globally as retailers spent less on prevention and there was in increase in the type of products being targeted.

“In the US, we saw that apparel stores suffered the highest rates of shrink [2.28 per cent] followed by pharmacies/drugstores [2.25 per cent] and non-grocery retailers [1.9 per cent],” Chua recently told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of an event in Dubai.

Column: Everett boutique owner shocked by rampant shoplifting

By Kylie Sabra

Guest columnist

I have never shoplifted in my life — not even as a child.

It simply never occurred to me to take something that was not mine.

I am new to retail and I absolutely love my new life. Running ReFresh Boutique allows me to engage my artsy tendencies as well as my planning and logistical skills. I’ve lived a protected life I suppose. My professional career was in corporate marketing and communications where I dealt with a microcosm of humanity. I now find myself exposed to a far wider range of personalities, and most of them I enjoy immensely.

Then, there are the issues.

I remember how heartsick I felt the first time someone stole from me. It was an all-to-common occurrence.

I’ve been able to reduce much of the theft problem by adjusting security cameras and rearranging the store to remove blind spots and closely observing people with large bags, coats, purses and the like.

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Addressing Shoplifting Rings In The United States

October 4, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Organized retail crime cost the retail industry billions of dollars every year. And, while managers, loss prevention officers, and law enforcement agree is a rising problem, the solution to the problem is still absent. Some organized shoplifting rings are known to be extremely violent, and that jeopardizes the safety of your customers and employees alike. Consecutively, hurting the profits of your store.

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

Former Coventry drug addict and shoplifter reveals how she has turned her back on a life of crime

West Midlands Police released the story of ‘Laura’ to highlight their work to stop people returning to prison.

One of Coventry’s most prolific shoplifters has turned her back on a life of crime and drugs – after being sent to prison while pregnant.

Laura – not her real name – had racked up 42 convictions for 124 offences in a bid to fuel her heroin addiction before being put behind bars in May 2015.

The 30-year-old was in the early stages of pregnancy when she was jailed for breaching a suspended sentence for theft.

Her story has been revealed by West Midlands Police who say their offender management work has prevented more than 8,000 offences in the last 12 months.

They say those crimes would have cost society nearly £30million.

How did the police help?

In Laura’s case, after she was imprisoned, Coventry Police’s offender management team sourced maternity wear from a clothes bank, visited prison to update her on child protection matters and, following her release in November, secured £150 from a charity to help buy baby clothes and accessories.

Addressing Organized Retail Crime: Law Enforcement and Retail Partnerships

Partnerships between law enforcement and LP can help in proactive retail crime prevention.

Following is an example of a successful partnership between retail loss prevention and local law enforcement that resulted in the dismantling of an organized retail crime (ORC) operation in one Florida county. While the details are specific to this particular 2011 investigation, what is important to the LP industry is that ORC is not just a discussion inside retail. Law enforcement is, in fact, interested in working with loss prevention organizations to proactively prevent crime in our stores and the communities we both serve.

Preparing for an Organized Retail Crime Blitz

As 2010 progressed, organized retail crime activity in Florida was high, resulting in significant losses for Luxottica Retail. Therefore, we decided to do a blitz in Florida to try to halt the losses. As usual, we sent invitations to other retailers to join us on this quest to identify and address ORC-related incidents. Macy’s then-ORC manager, John Morris, accepted the invitation to work with us.

Our second step was to solicit help from law enforcement. Our initial calls seemed to generate interest, but no commitments were reached. Time was passing quickly, and we couldn’t get the commitments we needed to secure a safe event. With only four days before the scheduled blitz, a call was made to a neighboring county to ask for suggestions on how to move forward with the blitz if we were not able to gain the necessary law enforcement assistance. That call was specifically made to Sergeant James Ostojic of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

MEMBERS OF WELL-KNOWN SF SHOPLIFTING RING ‘RAINBOW CREW’ ARRESTED

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) —

Members of a well-known San Francisco shoplifting ring are under arrest, charged in what prosecutors are calling an “unprecedented investigation.”

Union Square is considered a target rich environment for organized thieves because of all the high-end stores, so San Francisco’s District Attorney George Gascon is sending a message.

“If you’re intending to commit a crime in the Union Square area – don’t!” he said.

The D.A, police and the Union Square business community have formed a unique partnership that’s led to charges against 16 people who bum-rush stores and steal merchandise. The so-called “Rainbow Crew” has operated not just in San Francisco, but nationwide.

“They’ve travelled and travelled exclusively to commit crimes and to victimize people in other jurisdictions,” said Frank Carrubba with the D.A.’s office.

And recently, they became more brazen, using pepper spray, even knives. Police say it’s not ordinary shoplifting.

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Using Technology And Training To Stop Shoplifting

September 28, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It is evident that small businesses and big retail chains have problems dealing with shoplifting and employee theft. Technology that helps them prevent shoplifting is an investment that their store cannot refuse. But, having the technology that helps prevent shoplifting is only a small part of the solution. Having employees trained and knowledgeable should be a big part of their strategy to prevent shoplifters. Do they know the steps to take when apprehending a shoplifter? Are they knowledgeable about the rights, and store policies regarding shoplifters? Technology can certainly help, but training your employees is a big part of the solution to stop shoplifting in your store.

Creepy Mickey Mouse arrested for shoplifting

That is one goofy mugshot.

A 22-year-old female tourist inside a Mickey Mouse outfit was busted in Germany for trying to steal nail clippers and a bottle of shampoo — and hiding the pilfered goods in her gigantic head, according to Central European News.

Police in the southwest city of Kaiserslautern released the suspect’s mugshot, erring on the side of hilarity and the woman’s privacy.

“The good news for Disney fans is that Mickey Mouse has been released from prison,” according to a spokesman for regional police in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

How to prevent shoplifting: 10 ways to protect your retail business

Every week there’s a new story – someone has tried to shoplift something in brazen or bizarre fashion.

Whether it’s the well-known trick of trying to secrete something away in a bag or under clothes, or something more devious, like the people who set up a fake company hiring ‘mystery shoppers’ and ordering them to steal, there are those out there who will try to pull a fast one on you.

With that in mind, these are our top 10 tips for preventing theft, and what to do if you do fall victim to it.

10 tips to prevent shoplifting

1. Know how to spot a shoplifter

One of the first things to prepare yourself and your employees for is how shoplifters are likely to behave. That way you’ll be able to spot them more easily and hopefully be able to stop them.

If someone is planning to shoplift from you, they may well display the following behaviours:

Attempting to avoid being noticed
Looking nervous, sweating or becoming flushed
Picking up and putting back the same items repeatedly
Paying more attention to what’s around them than the product in their hand or on the shelves in front of them
Wearing large coats, even in hot weather, or carrying large bags

Of course, this behaviour doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is planning to steal from you, but they’re signs worth looking out for.

Security Cameras with Facial Recognition: A Game-Changing Technology for Retailers

Retail security systems with facial-recognition technology are becoming more prevalent in stores.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is based on the experiences of a well-known retailer who implemented a facial-recognition security camera system. Because of the potential value of this technology to the retail industry as well as the critical issues surrounding its deployment, the executive who leads this initiative approached the magazine to offer his insights on the condition of anonymity. Therefore, the names of the individual and the company have been changed.

“We’re seeing shoplifters—known shoplifters—come up to us and ask permission to buy something.” Is this some kind of loss prevention Twilight Zone, or the delusions of a loss prevention associate who has spent too many hours watching surveillance video? No, this is everyday life in stores at a leading retailer who has recently deployed a facial-recognition system. And it’s just one of the changes that have led the company’s head of LP to call facial recognition a game-changing loss prevention technology.

“We now know within seconds of a person walking in the store if they’ve previously been caught stealing from us,” says Tom Smith, vice president of loss prevention for Store-Mart. “We now know which hours of the day see the most shoplifter activity. We now know that 26 percent of the people we detain, we see again in the brand within one month, on average 13 days later. We never had a way of knowing things like this before. This is stuff that LP associates will salivate over. It’s going to be a game changer.”

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Addiction and Shoplifting

September 22, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The retail industry loses billions of dollars a year due to shoplifting. And the small business owner that loses money due to shoplifting is a struggling business, without the resources the big retail chain has. Shoplifting, employee theft, organized crime, and even merchant theft, are major reasons why some small businesses close their doors for good. Shoplifters with a drug addiction problem are also a big problem for these businesses, because they enter their store to steal big quantities of merchandise to sell for cash to keep with their addiction drugs.

Prosecuting the shoplifter is always a hard decision for the small business owner to make, specially when they consider the financial burden attorneys’ fees will have in their business. A small quantity of small business owners choose to prosecute, but many choose to terminate the employee and deal with the loss instead.

For more about this and other topics about shoplifting, follow the links below.

It’s better to prevent addiction than cure

Addiction is powerful and destructive.

And there is no magic bullet, no magic cure.

Ask any alcoholic or drug addict in recovery and he or she will confirm that it takes perseverance and self-discipline to remain clean and sober, one day at a time, for the rest of his or her life.

What does this have to do with the American court system?

Empirically, addiction and crime go hand-in-hand. And people charged with crimes end up in court.

As a judge to whom thousands of criminal cases have been assigned, I have detected patterns when it comes to substance abuse.

A horrific crime with unspeakable allegations? Methamphetamine addiction.

Property crimes, including burglary, shoplifting and auto theft? Heroin addiction.

Domestic violence? Child abuse/neglect or animal abuse? Alcohol and methamphetamine.

DWI? Alcohol and/or drugs, both legal and illegal.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, just patterns I have noticed in my courtroom. Additionally, there is often an overlay of mental illness, sometimes specifically brought about by years of chronic substance abuse.

Shoplifter stole food for drugs

A PERSISTENT shoplifter who stole to fund his drugs habit was handed a suspended prison sentence and warned that if he committed another offence he was likely to be jailed immediately.

Christopher Page pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft from a shop – seven of them from the same One Stop shop in Pinehurst. The total value of the goods stolen was more than £200.

James Burnham, prosecuting, told Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday that Page went into the One Stop on August 5 and took six packs of steak without paying. He returned just before 5pm on August 7 and picked up washing liquids and gels worth £67.80, putting them down his trousers and walking out. The following day he was back to steal milkshakes valued at £3.

Then on August 9 he put more washing liquids, five packs of bacon, sausages, shower gels and a packet of hot chocolate worth £35.45 down his trousers and left without paying.

On August 14 he took washing liquids and the following day he stole fabric conditioner and washing capsules to the value of £13.65. “He sold the items to buy food and drugs if they were not food or were high value,” explained Mr Burnham. Ten days later he was back at the One Stop but this time he was seen hiding three boxes of Ferrero Rocher worth £19.50.

Good start in tackling gun violence-drug addiction problems

I attended two meetings recently that provided me with valuable information about problems in our community.

The Heroin Awareness meeting presented by the City of Myrtle Beach was excellent. I hadn’t realized the extent of the problem. My heart aches for those addicted and their families. Many try heroin because of peer pressure and become addicted. Others had been taking prescription meds for pain, became addicted, and then turned to heroin. Some overdose the first time they try it. Some go through many painful withdrawals before they are finally able to stay clean. Drug addicts are responsible for many crimes of shoplifting, burglary and prostitution in order to feed their habits.

I hope this Heroin Awareness program will be offered again to a countywide audience and especially students. Was the whole program filmed? If so, could it be shown in schools and community groups?

I also attended an Horry County Democratic Party Committee meeting on gun sense. We are seeking information so that we can understand how gun violence can be reduced. Horry County officers Wyatt and Conti were generous with their time and knowledge.

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Preventing Employee Theft

September 14, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

One of the best method to prevent shoplifting is by eliminating the opportunities the shoplifter has. Greeting a customer and asking them if they need help is a nice way to let the customer know you are alert. Security cameras, and signs alerting the shopper that as a business you will prosecute if they are caught stealing, are great deterrents that can help you prevent shoplifting. But, what about employee theft? The amount of money employees steal is greater than what the normal shoplifter steals. So, how can you prevent your employees from stealing? For more about this topic, follow the links below.

The Employee Investigation: Does It Pass the Smell Test? Part 1

Red flags during an employee theft investigation usually confirm that “the milk is spoiled.”

When it comes to an employee investigation, sometimes the “smell test” will just not let you rest. You know, those situations when you listen to a story or a business practice and something just plain stinks. On the surface nothing appears to be wrong, but there is a smell just below the surface that makes you think, “This is spoiled milk.” We don’t have to taste it to know that it’s bad. A quick sniff, a glance at the label on the side of the bottle, the floating lumps, and our decision is made.

Our last several cases failed the smell test because there were so many red flags. There were problems and circumstances that should have been further explored, yet they were overlooked. Occasionally, the smell test is wrong. But over the years we have seen that when the red flags appear, they consistently confirm that the milk is spoiled.

Let’s take a look at the red flags we have found to be most useful in ferreting out the dishonest employee. When reflecting on our interview and interrogation techniques, we should note that there are great differences between an employee who is a thief, and one who is a fraudster or embezzler. While both types may be stealing from the organization, their methods are often very different, as are the red flags indicating dishonesty. Part 1 of this article series focuses on the employee suspected of fraud.

Reduce employee theft

Loss prevention and theft experts weigh in on a thorny topic.

According to statistics from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 75 percent of employees steal from work. And most do so repeatedly. If that’s not enough to get you to pay attention, that same U.S. Chamber of Commerce study, 30 percent of corporate bankruptcies are a result of employee theft. The FBI calls employee theft the fastest growing crime in America.

The employee is key

King Rogers has helped companies with loss prevention and security for nearly half a century. After helming his own company for many years, Rogers now is business leader, security management services for Master Technology Group. He says the first step to preventing employee theft begins with the hiring process.

“It starts with recruiting the employee,” Rogers says. “The orientation should include a clear communication of expectations.”

Part of this orientation should include disclosing any initiatives that exemplify how much the business owner values his or her company and all the people working there.

“This let the employees know management cares very much about this business and about the employees,” Rogers says. “As a result, management is going to keep an eye on the business as well as the employees.”

Former Bothell PD employee charged with theft from agency

The evidence technician is accused of taking cash for himself from the evidence room.

A former Bothell Police Department employee is accused of taking more than $50,000 from the agency’s evidence room.

William Kenney, 62, is charged with first-degree theft after police say he admitted to pilfering money from the evidence room for his own benefit.

The missing money was discovered during a regularly scheduled audit of the evidence room in January 2015. Kenney, an evidence technician, had called in sick that day and employees claimed he had been acting strangely in recent months, according to court records.

Employees conducting the audit were unable to find money that records indicated was in a safe, according to the Washington State Patrol, which conducted the independent investigation.

When Kenney was asked to call the department about the safe, he replied with a personal email with an apology, reports say. The email allegedly detailed a “nasty divorce,” financial woes and an admission that, “I found myself borrowing from the property room …”

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3 No-brainer Ways to Decrease Theft

September 7, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

If you work in retail then you know theft is a big problem. The theft of supplies, merchandise, time and money are just a few of the things managers have to deal with daily. They have to address it on many fronts (i.e., impulse and professional shoplifters, employees and their friends and families, vendors).

Unfortunately, these concerns aren’t going to go away. At this time, no one has a solution for stopping all forms of stealing. You can’t change human nature and some people are just going to be dishonest. That’s the bad news.

However, there’s some good news too. While you can’t completely stop it, there are ways you can prevent or minimize a lot of your loss due to theft. Loss – caused both externally and internally — can be decreased by making a few operational changes.

Here are 3 operational areas where you can make some headway in your on-going struggle against theft. If they seem like they’re “just common sense” you’re right, they are. But, there are a lot of managers and organizations out there who don’t do them — you probably know some.

Put the right person in the right job. We all do some things better than others; everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Putting people in positions they’re not trained to do or aren’t capable of doing affects the way they’re able to perform their job. Sink or swim is a destructive way to manage and it rarely works.

If a person is good with organization think about making them responsible for keeping a tight rein on your high-risk inventory. How about putting the out-going person in charge of greeting, engaging and monitoring customers on the floor?

Everyone is accountable for their job duties. Lack of accountability is one the biggest complaints people have with their jobs. Consequences for poor performance and behavior are some of the most effective deterrents to theft. Honest, responsible, motivated employees want to work in fair and equitable workplaces.

Prioritize effective communication. This is a simple, smart fix. Yet, most companies struggle with it. Billions of dollars have disappeared in a pocket or walked out a door because somebody didn’t: pass on important information, talk over a problem, speak up with a concern, get enough training, get the memo or listen well enough.

There are other operational ways to decrease internal and external theft. But, these 3 are a good place to start. If they are done well and consistently they might be all you need. If not, they’ll give you a good base on which to build further.

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Preventing Shoplifting With Training

September 6, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A woman is fired by a grocery store chain after merging with another chain, and changing their shoplifting policy because she chased a shoplifter. Employees at the biggest retail store chased and killed a shoplifting man and now they faced murder charges. Employees at retail stores, grocery stores, and specialty stores all over the country chase and try to stop shoplifters, when even the store policy where they work says “No chase, No Touch.” When hiring a new employee, management should be absolutely clear about the policies regarding shoplifting, and the store in general. Remind older employees about the policies as well, so they can have a clear understanding of what it is expected of them when a situation of this nature occurs. The safety of your employees and customers is a paramount responsibility you cannot ignore.

To read more bout shoplifting news, follow the links below.

Low Prices, High Crime: Inside Walmart’s Plan to Crack Down on Shoplifting

The nation’s largest retailer is taking justice into its own hands.

The Walmart Supercenter in Camden, S.C., is a 24/7 retail oasis in an area with few options. There are Walmarts in nearby counties, but some of them aren’t open 24 hours a day. Camden’s location—close to Lake Watertree and a nearby river with few bridges—makes it difficult for residents to go anywhere other than the sprawling complex for everything from bread to tires to electronics. And it’s a place the Camden Police Department knows well. In the first six months of 2016, 14% of the department’s police reports originated at Walmart, most for shoplifting—a figure that could be much higher if you ask the town’s police chief.

“Sometimes they don’t call us,” says Camden Police Chief Joe Floyd. “They call us when they make an apprehension of a shoplifter. But they don’t call us every time something happens there.”

Woman works at Ballard Safeway for 12 years, fired for trying to stop vandal, shoplifter

After 12 years of working for Safeway, Samira Othman, 48, never thought she would be fired for trying to prevent a shoplifter and vandal from taking liberties while on her watch, but that’s just what happened last May.

Othman told the Ballard News-Tribune that she has been a merchandise stocker at the store for years. She moved here from Jerusalem back in 2001 and got a job at a Capital Hill Safeway, but after a year she moved back to Jerusalem to care for her mother. She later returned in 2004 and asked her previous manager for a reference in order to get hired at the Ballard Safeway (1423 NW Market St.). She said she was hired immediately and stocked the shelves for over a decade.

“I’m very hard working, and I worked like a dog for them for years,” said Othman.

But she was known for doing much more than stocking the shelves; she also busted shoplifters. For years Othman said she saved the store thousands of dollars by catching thieves and retrieving store products. She said she was rewarded for her efforts with gift cards from the corporate office.

Dear CEO: How Immune Is Your Business To The Risk Of Fraud?

Dear CEO: How Immune Is Your Business To The Risk Of Fraud? – Adeniyi Bamgboye

The success of every businessman depends on his ability to make a decent return on investment and make reasonable profit while the hallmark of every professional lies in his or her ability to commercial his skills, knowledge and expertise. We all know how challenging doing business in our clime can be. Not to mention issues such as unstable electricity, poor transportation system and lack of infrastructural facilities plaguing our economic growth and development as a nation. Adding the risk of fraud which is the subject matter of this article would be tantamount to adding salt to injury of a typical Nigerian entrepreneur because he already has enough giants to contend with.

This piece was written by Adeniyi Bamgboye Emmanuel. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 360Nobs.com.

Fraudulent activities within an organisation will not only serve as a clog to the wheel of progress of such an entity in terms of causing a drastic reduction in its profitability on the short term, and its ability to continue to operate as a going concern in the long term.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

How To Fight Organized Crime and Employee Theft

August 31, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Many new initiatives to prevent shoplifting have been put into effect at the state level, and around the world in hopes that police enforcement and retailers work together to fight this crime. The different methods, and the technology they use is up to the people involved, and in some cases the results are pretty optimistic. Fighting crime needs the collaboration of law enforcement and the management of the stores to have some success.

For more about this and other stories follow the links below.

A Formula for Fighting Organized Retail Theft

A Texas task force successfully challenged a criminal enterprise of shoplifters and fences through teamwork and communication.

What started out as a small meeting in Houston to discuss the problem of infant formula theft led to arguably one of the most significant positive examples of teamwork between private sector loss prevention, law enforcement, and government officials in the fight against organized retail theft. The lessons from these collaborative efforts in the early 2000s are still applicable in today’s loss prevention industry.

In the fall of 2002, several grocery loss prevention representatives met with Joe Williams, then president of the Gulf Coast Retailers Association, to discuss the growing problem. The standard deterrence and apprehension techniques used in the industry were having little effect on slowing the theft of formula. CCTV, electronic article surveillance (EAS), and even undercover shoplift agents proved to be of little value in significantly slowing the losses. In many locations, retailers were locking up formula just to keep it in supply for their customers. While this helped to slow the theft, it also was an inconvenience for legitimate customers and was damaging sales.

The Scope of the Organized Retail Theft Problem

By comparing notes on the apprehensions made in their stores, the loss prevention representatives found that in many of the cases the suspects detained for the formula thefts were primarily from South and Central American countries, specifically El Salvador and Honduras.

USPS Employees Theft: Suspects Include Ex-Postal Union Head

USPS employee theft has led to charges against 33 post office workers in the Los Angeles area, including embezzlement and failure to deliver 50,000 pieces of mail. One of the suspects is the former president of the mail workers union.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the suspects were connected to 28 cases involving mail theft and/or possession of stolen mail. Other charges included conspiracy, bank fraud, and making false statements.

“Arrest warrants were issued for six of the 33 defendants, who were recently charged as a result of investigations by the USPS’s Office of Inspector General,” said prosecutors. “Most of the defendants were charged in indictments that were returned by federal grand juries …”City News Service said one of those nabbed, Jarol Garcia, 33, is the former president of the local Mail Handlers Union. He was charged with conspiracy and possession of stolen mail. Garcia had worked at the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center as a mail handler.

Forgery May Not Constitute “Theft” Under an Employee Dishonesty Coverage

Ruling in favor of the insurer on a motion for summary judgment, on July 29, 2016 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that under the terms of a commercial crime policy, proof of a forgery by the insured’s employee in extending $90 million of credit to a customer did not establish an unlawful taking as required by the policy terms. Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co, LLC v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, 2016 U.S. App. Lexis 13838 (5^th Cir. 2016).

Tesoro, a refiner and marketer of petroleum products sold fuel on credit to petroleum distributor Enmex. On several occasions the credit director for Tesoro, for unknown reasons, falsified and forged signatures on numerous letters of credit purportedly issued to Enmex. These acts enabled the Enmex debt to Tesoro to grow to $90 million before the forgery was detected. Once the forgery was discovered, Tesoro filed suit against Enmex for breach of contract and fraud, which lawsuit was settled. Tesoro also filed a claim with its insurer National Union under its crime policy. Tesoro claimed the loss fell under the “forgery and alteration” section of the policy (which section did not cover employee forgeries) and then amended its claim to proceed under the “employee theft” portion of the insuring agreement. National Union denied coverage under both provisions. After suit was brought by Tesoro against National Union for breach of contract and bad faith, cross motions for summary judgment were filed. Ruling in favor of National Union, the federal district court in Western Texas reasoned that the employee theft coverage could include theft that was facilitated by a forgery, but that it did not cover forgery losses independent of a theft, which always required an unlawful taking in order to trigger coverage. Tesoro did not demonstrate that any unlawful taking had occurred and, therefore, the district court granted National Union’s motion for summary judgment. On appeal the Fifth Circuit agreed.