Retailers in certain cities across America are finding they must close their doors, as crime rates in the area are extremely high. Organized retail crime has become a major concern, with groups walking into stores and using intimidation or violence to commit nefarious acts. What can retailers do to improve retail store security while keeping their doors open?
The Rise in Theft
The global pandemic is partially to blame for the rise in brazen theft. People wear masks to protect their health, and criminals take advantage of this. They know it will be harder to identify them if they are wearing a mask.
In addition, staffing levels remain low, and law enforcement resources have been reduced. Punitive consequences have been eased, as well. This combination of factors has led to the rise in crime.
Criminals don’t make much from their ill-gotten gains. They only receive ten to 20 percent of the retail value for these items. When they get away with their crimes, they are emboldened to commit more.
The Far-Reaching Impact
Employees are scared to go to work and customers don’t want to shop, as they worry about being caught up in one of these crime sprees. Security guards are being told to allow the criminals to engage in their activities, as the store wishes to protect their security guards and other employees. In addition, confronting an individual could lead to negative press for the store.
Operational Issues
Retailers must ensure their employees feel safe coming to work. In addition, they need to provide customers with a sense of security. One negative incident could damage the brand. They recognize brazen theft goes far beyond a loss in profitability.
They must have plans in place to repair any damages and restock the products. In addition, they must determine whether to reopen the location or choose to close the doors forever. Many retailers today are choosing the second option, which hurts the communities they previously served.
Collaborative Evidence Management
Retailers must document these instances and work with law enforcement to catch those responsible. This evidence needs to be sufficient to bring felony charges against those responsible. One incident often isn’t enough to achieve this goal.
Retailers must come together and share information. Doing so may allow them to demonstrate these thefts are the work of a criminal enterprise. They need to show every step of the process, from the initial theft to where the items are monetized. A digital evidence management solution is of great help with this.
The software allows retailers to bring various pieces of information together to show who was responsible for the crime. They can then share this information with the appropriate parties.
When doing so, the retailers can assign privileges to different individuals and change these permissions as needed. All evidence can be logged into the system to protect chain of custody, as well. As this information is maintained in the cloud, there are no size restrictions.
Organized retail crime must be combated. A digital evidence management solution is helpful in achieving this goal. Learn more today about these solutions to see how they benefit every retailer, including those impacted by criminal enterprises.
