Crime doesn’t always pay. In Concord, NH, police recently arrested a group of four women who stole more than $1000 worth of merchandise at a local Walmart. This is just the tip of the iceberg—with the cost of retail crime up 27 percent over the last year, how do companies keep losses down and items on store shelves?
New England is rapidly becoming a technology haven—the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce has plans to focus on “the technology sector and innovation economy” in 2015, according to the Boston Herald. Groups like the Advanced Cyber Security Center (ACSC) are looking for ways to help keep tech companies safe in this burgeoning investment environment; what can brick-and-mortar businesses learn from these tech-focused efforts?
For New England businesses, the start of a new year is a great time to take stock of what’s working for your company, what isn’t, and where you need to make changes. One critical area often overlooked by businesses is their security system—is the service delivering effective protection at a reasonable price, or is it time for a new partner in the new year?
Here are 5 critical questions to ask your current business security system provider:
In Auburn, MA, vandals are terrorizing the 118 year-old Worcester Hebrew Cemetery, which lies at the far end of Cemetery Road. As reported by Telegram Towns, criminals recently toppled 19 headstones and caused irreparable damage to several of the grave markers.
While the Auburn police are doing everything they can — and the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts is offering $500 for information leading to the arrest of these vandals — leads are slim.
It was a quiet June day on Dexter Street in Providence, Rhode Island when arsonist Shantey Nared approached a vacant house and set it ablaze. The home next door was also damaged as Shantey fled the scene — thanks to video surveillance, he was later caught and now faces a charge of first-degree arson, according to NBC 10 News.
For New England business and homeowners, however, this kind of daylight arson presents significant risk: how do your protect your property from the unexpected (and often random) crime of arson?
On July 25 at 7:06 a.m., police officers in Georgetown, MA, responded to a home burglar alarm system on Seale Street; upon arrival, they discovered it was a false alarm. At 9:46, another alarm went off on Baldpate Road; and again upon arrival, police found the building secure.
According to Georgetown Wicked Local’s Police Incident Log — each day, officers deal with an average of two false alarms, eating up valuable time and resources. But what’s the real cost of this unnecessary response?
In 2013, Boston police responded to over 8,000 complaints of property crime, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR). This equates to over 20 incidents per day and doesn’t indicate how many of these reported crimes led to arrests. What’s more, statistics can’t account for shoplifting and other property crimes that go unreported or unnoticed.
It’s no surprise that small businesses are feeling the pinch with profit margins slimming and high-value items disappearing thanks to five-finger discounts. How can you stop the shoplift?
Recently, a Framingham, Mass. man was arrested for allegedly stealing $1,367.30 in merchandise from his employer, the Express store in the Natick Mall.
Employee theft is more common than you might think. In fact, every year, retail employees rip off about $15 billion worth of merchandise – 44% of all stolen goods – from their employers, according to the National Retail Federation.
Workers can shoplift in much the same way as customers by hiding merchandise in their purses, pockets, or bags and then taking it out of the store. Employees can also steal money from their registers, let friends or family members steal merchandise, or even commit credit card or check fraud.
Retail store employees are constantly presented with opportunities to steal cash or merchandise. Here are four tips to help you cut down on employee theft from experts who spoke with Entrepreneur magazine.
Unfortunately, shoplifting is often considered a necessary part of doing business for a retailer.
Earlier this year, three people – two from New York and one from Pennsylvania – were arrested for allegedly shoplifting $29,000 worth of fur coats and other clothing from a fur shop on Route 28 in Randolph, Mass.
Police also discovered that the suspects had a list of high-end clothing stores from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, including stores in Boston and Quincy, according to the Patriot Ledger.
In addition to installing a business security system, understanding the different types of shoplifters – and the way they think – can go a long way toward helping you protect your company.
If you’re a retailer looking into business security systems, you’re all too well aware that shoplifting costs your industry tens of billions of dollars every year – that’s millions every single day.
No retailer is immune. Shoplifters steal from all kinds of stores; big box stores, department stores, supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores, and even thrift shops. Worst of all, there is no profile of a typical shoplifter. They can be men or women and sometimes even kids. Shoplifters come in all shapes and sizes; rich or poor; young, old, or in between.
Of course one of the first steps to help control shoplifting in your establishment is to install a video surveillance system – however, it’s not possible to completely stop people from stealing from you. Luckily, there are ways to further protect your business if you know how to spot a shoplifter.
