Theft Prevention and Response Plan

Theft Prevention and Response Plan

Team A

SEC/321

October 3, 2016

Tom Gravis

Theft Prevention and Response Plan

The retail industry can be a very vulnerable industry.  Over the span of time, this industry, all over the world, has met its challenges. But, these days the population have come to find better ways to steal from this industry. This is not only involving customers but employees as well. When a company sets out to find a place to open their business, all aspects of the organization should be monitored. This should also be reevaluated on a consistent basis. The protection of the business should be a top priority for any employee. So, when a theft is caught there is a possibility of prosecution. These issues all cause for a need of security. Security, although another expense to the business, could be an invaluable investment.

Organization Overview

One of the most important things to think of, when a retail business is opening, is the location. From a security stand point a business would not want a store located in an area riddled with crime. There would also always be a high probability of something dangerous happening. This would mean that security in the store would have to be drastically heightened. On the other hand, though, a store would not want to be in a very remote location with no crime at all because then there would be no way to make money if there are no customers.  Store size is also another thing to look at. The bigger the store would mean the business would need a lot more security to cover the square footage properly. That means the smaller the store the less security because there is not as much space to watch over. Store assets are something a retailer might want to know before finding the location and the size of the store. For a retail setting, with clothing, you would not need as much room. For a store selling tractors there will need to be a lot more room. When it comes to security for the assets a retailer will want to hire people that know the product and will be able to then in return protect it better.

Theft Prevention

In the retail business you have a lot of areas where theft prevention can occur. Everyday there are customers that enter a retail store, where they can steal from the store. “U.S. businesses are now losing around $60 billion annually to retail shrinkage. The vast majority of the losses are attributable to retail theft.” Atkins (2016), Having a security procedure in place can ward off some potential thieves. Visibly seen cameras, anti-theft, and security guards can ward off potential theft from employees and customers. Having all employees get their bags checked before they leave for the day is a great way to stop employee theft.  Keeping employees honest when it comes to dealing with money by having them count the register at the end of their shift can prevent them from stealing. Having dressing room attendants can also alleviate some of shoplifting from occurring, because their items will be counted when they enter and leave the dressing room. The greatest tool in having a good security procedure is to encourage all employees to report when they see something suspicious can stop something before it gets out of hand.