Stop Shoplifting-4 WC Blog 145
Retail Theft Prevention-3
Loss Prevention And Cameras: More Than Just Retail Theft Prevention
When people think about what Loss Prevention Officers and Managers do, obviously the first thing that comes to mind is that their job is to stop shoplifting. This is one of the primary roles they perform, but the job really encompasses so much more. It is protection of merchandise as well as company property, employees and customers. Today we frequently hear people voice concerns about privacy and all of the cameras that are in use all around us. Local police have cameras on light poles and stop lights. Government offices have them through their hallways, in elevators and even at entrances and exits. Private businesses place them throughout their stores and even in parking lots. As a retail theft prevention tool, cameras can be invaluable in deterring, and helping to catch shoplifters and employees who are stealing. While I do understand some of the privacy concerns I have heard in the media, I would like to share a couple of experiences from my lengthy time in Loss Prevention that may give a slightly different perspective on closed circuit television cameras. I would also like to shed a little more light on what Loss Prevention teams really do on a daily basis.
One day when I was working as a Loss Prevention Officer for a department store, I was in our security office monitoring cameras but it was a relatively slow day. My efforts to stop shoplifting were proving futile it just didn’t seem anything was happening in the store. I shifted my attention to the outside cameras. I panned the parking lot with the cameras and noticed that several guys in a car were taking out an infant car seat. In my experience, usually car seats are placed in a car not taken out of it. The subjects put the car seat on the ground and re-entered the car, making no effort to place the seat in the trunk or anywhere else in the vehicle. While it may not have been retail theft prevention it was theft prevention I was concerned with. I contacted our local police department and provided them with the vehicle description and license plate information. They confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen from a nearby town about thirty minutes prior to my call. Since I was able to provide a description of the car and direction of travel, it didn’t take long for local police to find the car and arrest the suspects for grand theft auto.
In another instance, I was Loss Prevention Manager for a retail store and the area our store was located in was experiencing a spike in robberies and assaults. Several of the robberies had taken place on an access road behind our building and a neighboring store. While this was not a retail theft prevention problem it was a threat to our customers, many of whom walked from a housing complex near the store. We had a strong partnership with local police and in this case they sought our assistance to try to help identify the perpetrator(s). Cameras normally used to stop shoplifting were now focused on external crime prevention. We dedicated surveillance time to watching the tree line and access road for activity. When security was not in the building, we ensured exterior cameras were strategically positioned to get the optimum video shots and recorders were recording. It took about a week but our efforts paid off. A robbery took place behind the store and our cameras had recorded the event. We partnered with detectives and made copies of the videos. Within a few days police were able to make two arrests in the case and the robberies ceased.
Loss Prevention does work hard to stop shoplifting in stores, but that is not all they do. The next time you see those cameras outside of stores and in-store closed circuit television monitors know that it is likely someone is trying to keep you safe while you shop.
Get more information on Retail Theft Prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When people think about what Loss Prevention Officers and Managers do, obviously the first thing that comes to mind is that their job is to stop shoplifting. This is one of the primary roles they perform, but the job really encompasses so much more. It is protection of merchandise as well as company property, employees and customers. Today we frequently hear people voice concerns about privacy and all of the cameras that are in use all around us. Local police have cameras on light poles and stop lights. Government offices have them through their hallways, in elevators and even at entrances and exits. Private businesses place them throughout their stores and even in parking lots. As a retail theft prevention tool, cameras can be invaluable in deterring, and helping to catch shoplifters and employees who are stealing. While I do understand some of the privacy concerns I have heard in the media, I would like to share a couple of experiences from my lengthy time in Loss Prevention that may give a slightly different perspective on closed circuit television cameras. I would also like to shed a little more light on what Loss Prevention teams really do on a daily basis.
One day when I was working as a Loss Prevention Officer for a department store, I was in our security office monitoring cameras but it was a relatively slow day. My efforts to stop shoplifting were proving futile it just didn’t seem anything was happening in the store. I shifted my attention to the outside cameras. I panned the parking lot with the cameras and noticed that several guys in a car were taking out an infant car seat. In my experience, usually car seats are placed in a car not taken out of it. The subjects put the car seat on the ground and re-entered the car, making no effort to place the seat in the trunk or anywhere else in the vehicle. While it may not have been retail theft prevention it was theft prevention I was concerned with I contacted our local police department and provided them with the vehicle description and license plate information.They confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen from a nearby town about thirty minutes prior to my call. Since I was able to provide a description of the car and direction of travel, it didn’t take long for local police to find the car and arrest the suspects for grand theft auto.
In another instance, I was Loss Prevention Manager for a retail store and the area our store was located in was experiencing a spike in robberies and assaults. Several of the robberies had taken place on an access road behind our building and a neighboring store. While this was not a retail theft prevention problem it was a threat to our customers, many of whom walked from a housing complex near the store. We had a strong partnership with local police and in this case they sought our assistance to try to help identify the perpetrator(s). Cameras normally used to stop shoplifting were now focused on external crime prevention. We dedicated surveillance time to watching the tree line and access road for activity. When security was not in the building, we ensured exterior cameras were strategically positioned to get the optimum video shots and recorders were recording. It took about a week but our efforts paid off. A robbery took place behind the store and our cameras had recorded the event. We partnered with detectives and made copies of the videos. Within a few days police were able to make two arrests in the case and the robberies ceased.
Loss Prevention does work hard to stop shoplifting in stores, but that is not all they do. The next time you see those cameras outside of stores and in-store closed circuit television monitors know that it is likely someone is trying to keep you safe while you shop.
Get more information on Retail Theft Prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
