NCJ Number
105409
Date Published
1987
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This review of crime prevention in business and industry focuses on countering employee theft, shoplifting, burglary, and robbery.
Abstract
Employee theft can be reduced through the special scrutiny of employees identified as being at high risk, pre-employment screening, inventory controls, a sophisticated security department, and attention to security in general management practices. Regarding the prevention of shoplifting, passive measures may include target hardening, store design that permits easy surveillance of shoppers, product packaging, and display arrangement. A security unit knowledgeable about shoplifting techniques is also an important preventive instrument. Regarding the prevention of robbery and burglary, deterrence measures include facility design, target hardening, and reduction of opportunity. Situational crime prevention rests on the premises that the decision to steal is shaped by the potential offender's immediate situation, that the decision is precipitated by the opportunities presented, and that the reduction of opportunities will narrow the choices to undertake burglary or robbery. Private police acting to protect the property of a specific business provide a more proactive force than is possible with public police, who usually fulfill a reactive role. 68 notes and 10-item bibliography.