With the wide range of threats which companies face today the presence of quality security personnel gives peace of mind. Operating with leading retailers such as Aldi, Roches Stores and Elvery Sports, Sword has developed a substantial working knowledge or retail crime. Effective loss prevention strategies
in conjunction with the presence of security personnel can reduce
the risks which your organisation may face. These threats to your
company may come from either internal sources such as disgruntled
staff and poor housekeeping or externally through fraud, larceny,
assault on staff to higher risk threats such as terrorism. |
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Sword's security personnel are trained to the highest standards. All staff must undergo a basic training program which includes modules on workplace violence, proprietary information and conflict management. In a retail environment we have a very successful rate of reducing shrinkage through detecting and deterring criminals. Sword staff have been involved in numerous successful prosecutions of professional shop lifters. Retail crime has a current growth rate estimated at 14% p.a. It is estimated that retail crime costs businesses, on average, 1.2% of their annual turnover. While retail items like books, CD’s and DVD’s are conducive to shoplifting, and so may seem to be at greater risk – retail businesses are under additional threat from employee and vendor relater crime. Is it time for you to start thinking about security? Who commits Retail Crime? What are the threats to your business? Customers Customers are believed to make up 43% or retail crime. They can be either: Professional: the professional
shoplifter is relatively rare, but they do exist! They will generally
take more than the amateur and target your more expensive items.
Professional will work in groups of 2-6 and may appear very respectable.
If caught, the professional is more likely to talk his/her way
out of being held.
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Amateur: The amateur may be an occasional shoplifter supplementing purchases with items they can’t afford, or they may be an opportunist. The amateur is easier to spot as their body language often gives them away. Opportunist shoplifters can be quite young with 35% of them under the age of 18. Staff The balance of retail crime, 57%, can be attributed to staff and this figure is growing. Global security research carried out by ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) concluded that over the coming decade employees would become the greatest threat to company security. Most people prefer to trust their staff and adapt the ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude. The unfortunate reality is that it may have already happened to you! Type of staff related crime include: Refund Fraud: Conducted in any store that will make refunds without a receipt. A common method is to take merchandise from the shop floor and ‘return’ it for cash using fictitious customer information. Discount Abuse: Where stores offer staff discounts on personal purchases, discount abuse occurs when a staff member purchases a item at a discount rate and then has an accomplice return it for the full price. Under-charging: This is the most common type of retail fraud. Here the cashier simply rings in an amount lower than the product price, or an incorrect code, give the customer the correct change and keeps the balance. Vendor Theft: Suppliers/delivery staff, either on their own or working with a member of your staff, can skim from deliveries. For example, a delivery of twenty boxes may be signed in, but only nineteen were actually delivered. At a stock check it is assumed the products were stolen from the shop whereas they were never actually delivered. Register Tampering: Obviously discrepancies will occur in the till, especially during busy periods. Mistakes will be made. Management however, must be able to analyse the discrepancies and watch for register tampering.
The above may be unnecessary? What can Sword Security offer your Company?
Security Reviews: Sword Security reviews include – a comprehensive review of your security procedures for stock and cash, recommendation and implementation of systems, fraud review and due diligence investigations. Electronic Security: With the huge growth in the technology sector, electronic security devices such as CCTV, security alarms, EAS etc. are no longer prohibitively priced. Sword will supply and install your electronic security devices. They will also advise you on making them as effective as possible through placement, deterrent warnings and use in conjunction with Sword staff. Training: Sword offers security awareness for your shop staff. This includes instructions on topics such as security awareness, violence in the workplace, aggression diffusion and retail security. |
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