FORCE
and exhibiting supreme confidence. One tactic used by shoplifters is to work as a team. One person can talk to you as a distraction, whilst the accomplice steals from you. If you have staff then you should ensure they are aware of this diversionary tactic and not ignore other people whilst in conversation. Make sure your staff are well versed on the following tips too: • Does the “customer” seem to be taking little notice of your products? • Will they seem nervous, picking up random items with little interest? • Do they often come into the shop and leave without buying anything? They could be familiarising themselves with you, your staff and your security measures. • Does the prospective customer spend as much or more time looking at the staff as they do the items for sale? • Are they lurking in corners where they’re not easily seen? • A giveaway can often be if they are wearing large, oversized coats and clothing. Having an understanding of the basic giveaways of a shoplifter is all well and good, but you should be fully aware of how wily they can be and look out for the following too: • Razor blades: some shoplifters carry these, to remove alarm tags once they’re safely in the changing room. • And it is changing rooms where they seek to transfer stolen goods into their own bags.
• Carrying shopping bags from high end retailers – this smoke and mirrors approach can give the impression that they are wealthy and would simply have no need to shoplift. Often the bags are empty or not filled with quality goods, although it is worth mentioning that shoplifting occurs across the classes and being able to shop in luxury stores does not mean the person is not a shoplifter! Shoplifters are expensive, worry inducing setbacks in retail, and although potentially violent when cornered, they still constitute a much smaller threat to safety than the risk of armed robbery. Irrespective of whether you run a high-end watch or jewellery outlet, or a small convenience store, the threat is the same – possible death or life changing physical or mental damage. Armed Robbery and attacks on staff The best way to “deal with” armed robberies is toprevent them. Understand that armed robbers commit crimes because they believe that the reward outweighs the risks. By decreasing the possible profit and increasing the risk of being caught, retailers can reduce their chance of becoming a target.
Federation of Regional Crime Enforcement
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