When looking for a loss prevention investigator for employee theft investigations you should keep in mind that one of the principal requirements is a high skill level in interview and interrogation.
Very few people understand how this works. The average person takes what they see on TV as reality. Far from it.
An interrogation is a structured conversation that follows very clear guidelines. If someone says “I can just talk to him or her for a while and usually they will tell me something”, run. This approach along with good guy, bad guy routines and the like are simply garbage.
This is a skill that many portray as having, but few are truly qualified. When you need an loss prevention investigator look for the follow things:
1 A person who has worked successfully for several major companies such as Macy’s, Wal-Mart, The Gap… They should have a clean track record at each of these companies.
2 Did they actually do investigations on their own to completion?
3 How many interrogations have they done on their own? If it is less than 400, keep looking.
4 How many formal interview and interrogation courses have they completed? They should have certificates from organizations such as John Reid, Wicklander…. If they tell you “Oh I didn’t need those I learned on the job” find someone else. That’s like asking someone to be your lawyer based on the number of John Gresham books they read.
These courses and methods not only provide structure to the investigator but when you get to court not having formal training to hold up is asking for trouble. The defense will tear them apart.
Do not trust your business or investigation to a loss prevention investigator that is less than qualified.
Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
