Routine Activity Theory: Checkpoint Systems are the Guardian

When examining methods to implement a successful retail theft prevention program, it’s important to understand why an offense occurs and why certain measures are effective and others fail to deter crime. Developed by Marcus Felson and Lawrence E. Cohen, Routine Activity Theory draws on the principles of Rational Choice Theory and Situational Crime Prevention. A delinquent act occurs through the interaction of three necessary conditions: offenders (shoplifters), targets (merchandise), and places they meet (retail stores). Further, each condition has a controller because they can influence each condition: handler, guardian, or manager.

Handlers are individuals with whom an offender has an emotional attachment and can shape their actions. Guardians are responsible for protecting the targets, such as security guards or Checkpoint security tags. Lastly, managers are the retailers, owners, and employees who affect the functioning of the retail environment. According to RAT, a crime is likely to occur if an offender meets a target in a place that lacks any controls. For the purposes of this anti-shoplifting discussion, guardians are the more crucial control for retail theft prevention.

Most retailers can’t direct an offender’s actions or determine if they have proper role models in their life. In addition, in a competitive and litigious society, managers can only manipulate the environment to a certain extent without impeding an honest customer’s enjoyable shopping experience. When using RAT to assess retail theft prevention measures, retailers can deter shoplifting most effectively by applying the guardian controller to protect merchandise. When applying this controller in terms of anti-shoplifting efforts, the most valuable guardian takes the form of Checkpoint security tags to protect high-risk targets. When taking advantage of solutions offered by Checkpoint systems, stores aren’t becoming places where offenders and targets meet without controls.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase retail anti theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems.

For more information on Anti Shoplifting, Checkpoint Security System or Checkpoint Security Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention or call 1.770.426.0547