NCJ Number
178327
Journal
Security Management Volume: 43 Issue: 7 Dated: July 1999 Pages: 110-112
Date Published
July 1999
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes ways retailers can design security measures tailored to the types of shoplifters in their stores.
Abstract
Retail security managers should gather data to help identify the motives, methods and target items of shoplifters in their stores. Professional shoplifters, those who steal to derive all or part of their income, are in the minority. However, they tend to steal more items and to take items of greater value per incident than do amateurs. Securing against professional thieves may involve: closed circuit television (CCTV) systems; electronic article surveillance (EAS) devices; displaying high-priced items inside a locked showcase or securing them to shelves with merchandise cables; and deploying many sales representatives and undercover agents on the sales floor. Strategies to deter amateur shoplifters might include: very visible CCTV cameras; obvious EAS devices; overt security, including signs warning of the penalties for shoplifting; and notification of the parents of teenagers who shoplift.