9 Ways You Are Susceptible to Theft

Like me, you probably made the easy prediction that an economic recession would result in a rise in crime. So it comes as no surprise that this prediction is unfortunately ringing true. Law enforcement agencies from parts of the country hardest hit by the recession are already reporting increased levels of theft. According to Florida's Department of Law Enforcement 2008 semi-annual crime report, larceny overall has increased by 3.4 percent over larceny reported in 2007, and Florida businesses have shouldered much of this increase in theft and have experienced a staggering 15.5 percent rise in shoplifting as of June 2008.

Shoplifting and other forms of theft are very much a concern of businesses when our country is experiencing the best of economic times. In fact, studies show that the average small business can lose more than $50K every year due to theft. Even in good times, this will put a serious dent in any company's profits.

Given the recession-induced business slow down and rising crime rates, it's more important than ever that any company consider the relatively small investment in video security equipment to protect yourself from this increasing activity and grow your bottom line. In fact, studies conservatively estimate that a business can prevent 25-50% of criminal activity by employing a simple video security camera and/or system. At today's crime rates, this investment will pay for itself in months.

Here are some of the MANY ways that a security system can protect you:

1. Fraudulent Claims - As you probably know and hopefully have not experienced, some people make a career out of staging "slip and falls" and earning near Hollywood sized paychecks. Thankfully, many of these claims have been successfully disputed by businesses using CCTV cameras in public areas. However, it's equally important that companies consider placing CCTV cameras in areas of the business not accessible to the general public, where most claims of employee injuries occur. Video security cameras installed in these areas will help to put a stop to these claims, and capture actual evidence to help protect the company should a true accident take place.
2. Supply Theft - While products stored on a shelf in plain sight may sometimes be difficult to access for a thief, stockrooms are typically out of sight and out mind of a business manager, and make perfect targets for internal thieves. Fortunately, stockrooms are also one of the easiest places to install a hidden covert camera - and in many cases, it only takes a single hidden security camera to tell you where your supplies are going.
3. Returns Theft - Goods returned to a store are often held in separate storage spaces, and don't get the same level of security as newer goods. However, thieves will quickly recognize this lack of attention, and consider them to be easy pickings. Depending upon the type of returned goods you deal with, it may be very practical to place surveillance video gear in the return product itself and track every move it makes. Although this may seem overkill and expensive, it's actually quite easy to do with today's covert video camera gear - and is much easier than having loss prevention managers hiding inside of product boxes… oh yes, we have heard of many desperate managers resorting to this tactic.
4. Tool Theft - Regardless of your business type, the typical company will keep ample supplies of expensive gear on hand. For some businesses, this gear may be considered safe from theft due its uniqueness - making it difficult to pawn. Today, however, finding a buyer for just about anything under the sun is child's play - thanks to the abundance of online auction sites and shoppers. This makes no business immune from theft. With the use of simple video surveillance and/or RFID tags, tools will stay where they belong.
5. Office Creepers - An unfortunate byproduct of today's busy offices with lots of expensive technology laying around is something we call "office creepers." Office creepers will stroll right into the heart of any business and take their pick of up-to-date laptops, monitors, printers, etc… A business equipped with surveillance video cameras in plain sight will deter a creeper and send them off looking for lesser prepared facilities.
6. Productivity Loss - The company Websense has released studies that indicate business loss due to low productivity far outweighs more traditional means of theft. Over the years, I have worked with businesses experiencing everything from low productivity to employees running separate web-based businesses while on the clock - even hocking the goods that they stole from the business! Needless to say, we were able to stop that activity with a small investment in video security.
7. More Productivity Loss - Certainly, there are more common acts of productivity loss with everyday extended conversations, extended breaks, low accomplishment of task, etc. These are common to almost every business, but confronting even the more vile offenders can be difficult in today's politically correct environment. An easy way to avoid confrontation and get the real story is through the use of video surveillance gear... Businesses that have chosen this route have been shocked at what they've uncovered and the positive changes they were able to make through monitoring and active management.
8. Crimes Against Others - Inside any business, the company is not the only one with valuables. These days, both customers and employees enter the businesses equipped with a variety of items commonly targeted by thieves - including cell phones, iphones, laptops, cash, and personal information. And as such, both customers and employees alike can become the unsuspecting target. Employees will inherently maintain certain levels of trust with fellow employees, which are often violated. Likewise, customers will devote generous amounts of trust by leaving property in hands of employees - a prime targets for thieves. Losing the trust of a company's employees and customers can bring a quick death to an otherwise viable business.
9. Customer Experience - In tough economic times, its hard enough to earn a customer's business... the last thing a company needs is its employees diminishing the chances of repeat business through bad customer experience. Many of our business customers focused on customer service will employ body-worn video equipment and mystery shop their own business to document true customer experience. This tactic will quickly root out the bad apples, and provide very powerful training video to educate the company's employees of how to properly interact with the customer.

It's impossible to be everywhere in a business at all times - but with video surveillance systems you can get very close. When items are missing and questions arise, a quick review of footage recorded sometimes weeks ago will uncover facts and give you the power for quick and decisive action. Today's video surveillance solutions are not only easy to use and affordable, they are also easy to install. If you have a person on staff that can connect a DVD player to a television (and I bet you do), then they can easily equip your businesses with the untiring eyes it needs to stop these losses immediately.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to contact me at jake@supercircuits.com