Ollie - The AML Watcher’s Post

A small percentage of offenders causes a large percentage of loss in stores. This is the reality for many retailers, in the US and around the world. And, we know these groups causing most of the loss are more likely to cause a safety event in stores. How has ORC and repeat offending changed? What's working to reduce it? See the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/g9qJ-fDq #crimeinsights #retailcrime #lossprevention #assetprotection

Quite interesting. Coming to think of this, such trends and practices are very common. While investigators could be busy looking at regulated and reporting institutions the money launders are shifting their focus to informal sectors. In many occasions, you would wonder why some shops are situated in high end malls, highly priced items, low stock levels and off course very low foot falls of 0-5 per day...obvious question remains, how do they keep up with such high rentals and still make profits?

What are your thoughts on identifying and preventing such schemes?

Today on the issue specific breakdowns of the manifestos, we're covering crime - always front of mind for both large and small retailers, and something that all of the parties have prioritised in their plans for Government. One area that we're encouraged by is the consensus across the main parties that there should be a specific offence for assaulting a shopworker. This is something that was well on its way to receiving Royal Assent in the Criminal Justice Bill before the election was called, but didn't manage to get a spot in the wash up period in parliament. Despite having to start again on the legislation, we expect the next Government to implement the separate offence sooner rather than later. There's also a lot of common ground on the need for more police officers. This is of course welcome, and something that we hope will improve relationships between retailers and the police. Too many calls to the police to report theft and abuse end up with a crime number and nothing much else, so a commitment to dealing with theft properly is something we'd like to see. This brings me onto the last point, which is the status of Police and Crime Commissioners. These elected officials are in place to set the priorities of their forces and to be held to account on their results. There's been a lot of progress made in the last two years on getting PCCs to recognise retail crime as an issue, so whether PCCs remain or are replaced by something else, local accountability on the response to retail crime should remain.

There has been a significant increase in break-in's in petrol and convenience stores lately with criminals trying to get their hands on cigarettes. With the high value of cigarettes it has become quite lucrative to get their hands on thousands $ worth of product. But not if you have a VDMS Cigarette Vending Machine. We have foiled more than 7 attempts in the past 2 weeks where robbers have tried to get access to cigarettes only to leave empty handed. Granted they have done some damage to the outside of the machines but this can be fixed for a lot less than losing hundreds of packs of cigarettes. It also sends a message to the criminals that it's not worth trying to get to the cigarettes in a store with one of our machines. If you want to find out how to protect your most valuable category contact VDMS today sales@vdms.com.au 02 8507 3009 #security #cigarettes #robberyprevention #petrolandconvenience #servicestations #conveninencestores #cigarettevending #vdms #venddatamediasolutions

🇧🇪The combination of inflation, leading to skyrocketing prices for everyday goods, and the increase in self-checkouts in shops has led to the highest number of recorded thefts from stores in #Belgium in 10 years. In the previous year, more than 24,000 cases were reported with food being the most commonly stolen item in more than 9,000 cases. However, #police note that the reported cases make up only about 11% of actual cases.

Retail crime has a profound impact that extends far beyond financial losses. Recently, I have heard many distressing stories from retailers who are facing the consequences of this criminal behavior, not just in their businesses but in their personal lives as well. We are talking about dedicated individuals who contribute positively to their communities yet find themselves subjected to alarming and unjust behavior far too frequently. It is important to remember that this issue affects not only independent retailers; larger chains are also grappling with this epidemic. No one, regardless of their location or the size of their business, should have to endure such abuse while simply trying to do their jobs. To all members of the retail community, I urge you to prioritize your well-being and not hesitate to seek support when needed. There are resources available, including excellent organizations like NewsTraid and GroceryAid, among others within our community. Together, we can navigate through this challenging time. Achieving meaningful change requires our collective strength, and it's crucial that our voices are amplified to reach government, law enforcement, the judiciary, and society at large. This was a vital message that Fiona emphasized at the recent Labour Party conference. Let’s unite in the fight against retail crime and advocate for the respect and safety that everyone in our profession deserves.

Soaring retail crime crisis. The British Retail Consortium Crime (BRC) Survey shows a worrying 50% increase in levels of retail violence and abuse and total cost of crime to retailers doubled from the previous year... read more on thedirt.news #BRC #BRCCrimeSurvey #HTA #RetailCrime #gardencentres https://lnkd.in/ee4jWCpU

The state should fund in-depth studies on #retailtheft to better understand the complexities involved in the causes and effects of retail crime. Read the Commission’s full report and recommendations: https://bit.ly/4cHN7nC #CALeg #CAGov #California