Loss prevention in the workplace

To prevent theft of goods and materials from the workplace requires a focus on the windows of opportunity that exist. The objective is to close as many “open windows” as possible by reducing the number of exit points from the premises in order that effective controls can be introduced. A line can then be drawn between the protected area and the outside world. The security of the perimeter of the protected zone must be monitored, as once goods have gone over this line the chances of recovery or detection of the thief is limited.

Crime in the workplace

Prevention is better than cure, you do not have to wait until you have a real problem and large losses before introducing measures to prevent theft.

Introducing controls

Introducing controls where none have existed can present a major culture change to the company.

Trust Vs Controls

The concept that the trust once placed in the employees is to be replaced by new security measures may be alien to some, but it can be argued that is beneficial to the employees to have controls in place.

The dangers of theft

Legislation now requires the employer to take steps to minimise health and safety risks to the employee while in the workplace, adequate safety measures must be in place. Exposure to theft can be as dangerous to the health of an employee as any high voltage, or rotating blade.
An employee earning £5 an hour may be expected to handle thousands of pounds worth of goods every day and is potentially subject to temptation. The employee may not consider the potential danger that stealing exposes them too. Once an employee starts to successfully thieve, the value of the thefts can build up over time and by the time the losses are discovered the company can have a major theft problem to deal with. The penalties facing the culprits once caught are large, they will almost certainly be dismissed, face prosecution and possibly imprisonment. Their lives may be irreversibly damaged by their actions, loss of employment, imprisonment, family break up, and health problems could be the result.
It could be considered that employers have “duty of care” to their employees to put in place adequate security controls to protect them from the potential risks.

Search Techniques introduce a scheme for loss prevention in the workplace.
Applications include Factories, warehouses and retail premises

The system is based on operating a random selection search policy

The objectives are:

• To minimise stock loses
• At minimum cost
• With minimum inconvenience

The Benefits are:

• Simple to operate
• Sustainable
• Monitors and measures losses
• Protects the best interest of the company and employees

How the system works

An electronic random selection system is used to take a sample of the personnel leaving the facility. The individuals selected are subjected to a search, this can be by a hands on frisk, bag search or scanning using a hand held metal detector. The search conducted should be as thorough as is necessary to determine that the person searched has no company property in their possession.

All personnel press the push button on exit. The Selector is in view of the security personnel.
A red light accompanied by a high tone indicates search, whilst a green light with a low tone indicates a pass.
The overall percentage of personnel to be selected can be adjusted from 0-100% (in 1% increments).

How much is being lost by not searching everybody?

If the percentage setting of the random selection system is set to a constant value, e.g. 5%, then the value of any company goods discovered on the individuals searched will give a measure of the total thefts.

The exit search facility is a monitoring process in which a continuous random sample is taken and tested, the results can be used to calculate the total value of losses of goods by theft by the formula:

(100/search percentage) X (value of material found in search (£???)) = £ Losses Total

e.g. for 5% search = (100/5) X (£???) = 20 X (£???)= £Losses Total

Because of the deterrent effect of the search system the amount of material discovered during the search process is very low. Operation over a period of time shows that, staff are not prepared to “run the gauntlet” of a random search system even when the percentage setting is low. The statistics produced show that there is no financial advantage in operating the system at a high percentage level and any additional operating costs would not be justified.

Theft by an individual

Staff do steal from their employers, that is a unfortunate fact of life. The scale varies from the petty, paper clips and pens, to the other extreme, high value plant and equipment. The motivation behind the theft can also be widespread, from opportunism to supplementing income, to malicious intent. If an individual has the inclination to steal, then the scale and repetition of theft is a reflection of their perception of being detected, the more they get away with, the more they will try and steal.

Manual selection VS Search selector

Manual selection for search by the security staff is thwart with potential problems, the persons selected may feel that they are subject to victimisation, racism or stereotyping.

The human interface

This is the key to the success of using a Random Search Selector in that it provides the ideal interface between the security staff and the workforce. Nobody is being accused of being a thief or potential thief and the security staff are only doing their job when conducting the searches. The potential for conflict is minimal.

Keep it simple

The simple pushbutton installation functions perfectly well for sites employing hundreds of workers, experience has shown that avoidance or refusal to press the selector button has not been an issue. Pressing the button maintains the focus of the individuals on your search policy.

Cost benefit

The payback time on installation of a search selection system on a site where no searches had been previously conducted could be measured in days.

Enhancing the system

The one addition to the Selection system that we would recommend where finances permit, is use of CCTV to record the selection process and the search area. There are a number of advantages to the use of CCTV in the search area. The camera can be used as a silent witness allowing one to one searching to take place. The recording can be viewed in the event of any incident in the search area. The use of the camera ensures that the security personnel carry out the searches properly. At any time an audit can be conducted on the search operations by reviewing the videotapes.