Shrink From Theft Significantly Impacts Small-To Medium-Sized Retailers

Shrink From Theft Significantly Impacts Small-To Medium-Sized Retailers

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

SMB retailers operate on narrow profit margins, they typically don’t have the budget or resources to invest in the training, security systems, and personnel to combat theft like larger retailers do. Offenders might also be more familiar with SMB retailers’ store layouts and know they lack specific security measures. If smaller stores with weaker security are located near larger stores with more robust protection, there might be an issue of displacement in which offenders pass by the big box shop for the mom-and-pop.

A low cost solution to theft prevention for SMB retailers is partnerships. Many law enforcement organizations have community policing units, where officers are specially trained to interact with local businesses and citizens to help them solve problems. SMB retailers can connect with this unit or a liaison and invite them to the store to dispense free crime prevention advice.

 

SOURCE: 

Fritsky, L. For Small- to Medium-Sized Business Retailers, Thwarting Theft Needn’t Come with High Effort or Costs, Loss Prevention Magazine, 10/09/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

License Plate Recognition Technology

License Plate Recognition Technology Is A Powerful Tool To Track Individuals Movements Through Vehicles.

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

License plate recognition technology, also known as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) or LPR (License Plate Recognition), is a surveillance system that captures vehicles’ images and identifies their license number. It uses optical character recognition on images to read vehicle license plates. 

The technology provides the ability to capture an image of a license plate code, convert the code into readable text, and compare it to a registration database for identification. License plate recognition technology is used for vehicle management operations such as ticketless parking, tolling, ITS, stolen vehicles detection, smart billing, and many other applications.

Many police departments tout them as tools to enhance community security, reduce crime, and make communities safer. The technology collects data about neighborhood crimes, including burglary, home theft, vandalism. 

Civil rights groups have cautioned ALPRs pose a potential violation of privacy. ALPRs collect and store data on the cars they scan, and this data is often kept for years with few or no restrictions to protect privacy rights.

 

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. WHITEPAPER: Building Robust ORC Cases with License Plate Recognition Technology. Loss Prevention Magazine, 04/01/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Body Cameras Deliver Enhanced Security and Accountability

Body Cameras Deliver Enhanced Security and Accountability

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Retailers seek effective solutions to the growing issues of theft and violence, the adoption of body cameras has emerged as a promising way to enhance security and accountability. This technology offers not just a way to record events as they unfold but it also serves as a preventive measure by visibly demonstrating that customer behavior is being monitored.

Body cameras can be strategically implemented to address these challenges, providing both immediate and long-term benefits to retailers. The operational, technological, and strategic advantages of integrating body cameras must be carefully considered. It’s important to ensure that all stakeholders are equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions.

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. WHITEPAPER: Top 10 Points for Retailers to Consider Before Purchasing Body Cameras. Loss Prevention Magazine, 06/21/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Retailers' Concern for Safety and Security have heightened

Retailers’ Concern for Safety and Security have heightened due to the Growing Threats.

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Break-ins and break-in attempts are always a concern for retailers for safety and security reasons, and these concerns have heightened due to the growing threats faced in recent years.

Before the pandemic, physical security’s role in business intelligence and operations was already growing, but over the last few years, it has proven to be a strategic asset in coping with a variety of challenges.

Security measures need to be integrated to manage potential threats to create the safest, most secure environments. 

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. LPM Survey: Storefront Security and Emergency Response 2024. Loss Prevention Magazine, 07/09/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Organized Crime and Shrinkage are on The Rise

Organized Crime and Shrinkage are on The Rise, Security Protection Is Essential to Offset Losses.

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

The final stage of the supply chain process in retail, is getting products off trucks and into stores. Retailers face rising security threats, such as theft, shoplifting, internal fraud, vandalism, and even violence. Matters are intensified by self-checkout systems and the complexities of post-pandemic retail environments. 

Whether managing day-to-day retail operations or responding to disasters and large-scale events, retailers must be prepared for the unexpected. Nexgen Security offers scalable solutions to meet these challenges head-on, enabling businesses to enhance security, reduce losses, and maintain operational integrity.

 

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. WHITEPAPER: The End-of-Sale Process in the Retail Supply Chain. Loss Prevention Magazine, 10/20/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Businesses should partner with law enforcement officers to develop safeguards for their businesses to prevent criminal activity.

Businesses Must Partner with Law Enforcement to Develop Safeguards

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

 

Small businesses typically don’t have the budget or resources to invest in the training, security systems, and personnel to combat theft like larger organizations.

Businesses should partner with law enforcement officers to develop safeguards for their businesses to prevent criminal activity. Helping businesses reduce and prevent crime is both a police and community effort.

Given limited resources, critically assess problem areas with solutions that will have the greatest impact on your bottom line. 

 

SOURCE: 

Fritsky, L. For Small- to Medium-Sized Business Retailers, Thwarting Theft Needn’t Come with High Effort or Costs. Loss Prevention Magazine, 08/01/2024
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

loss protection strategies

Loss Prevention Strategies for Effective Collaboration

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

 

The most effective loss protection strategies are those that engage every level and department within an organization.

The essence of this collaborative approach is to move beyond the traditional confines of asset protection. It’s about breaking down the silos and fostering a culture where asset protection is seen as a shared responsibility.

To be effective, asset protection leaders must ensure they are seen as valuable partners rather than roadblocks. This involves actively seeking ways to support other departments’ goals and finding solutions that benefit the entire organization. When others see you as a collaborator rather than an obstacle, they are more likely to include you in critical meetings, ideation sessions, and decision-making processes.

 

SOURCE: 

Shugan, D. Collaborative Approaches to Asset Protection: Engaging All Stakeholders. Loss Prevention Magazine, 08/01/2024
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Advanced AI Technology Enables Security Real-Time Monitoring to Mitigate Crime

Generative AI Technology Enables Security Real-Time Monitoring to Mitigate Crime

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Many organizations are investing in generative AI solution, Incident + ORC Intelligence, that automatically links incidents of theft, fraud, and abuse, enabling the seamless creation of comprehensive cases to help dismantle Organized Retail Crime (ORC) syndicates.

The technology enables real-time searches across millions of incidents and provides investigators with sophisticated tools to process, summarize, and analyze related criminal activities.

This solution is specifically designed to identify connections between incidents, using key details such as suspects, narratives, vehicles, and other critical case information. This targeted approach significantly enhances the investigative process, helping investigators quickly pinpoint related cases.

 

SOURCE: 

Appriss Retail introduces AI and shared investigative reporting to fight ORC. Security InfoWatch, 09/06/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Enhancements to an Organization’s Exterior Mitigates Crime

Enhancements to an Organization’s Exterior Mitigates Crime

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Natural surveillance maximizes the ability to spot suspicious people or activities. Clear sight lines and visible entranceways are helpful while dimly lit or isolated areas create a more comfortable location to mitigate crime.

Image and maintenance ensure that a building or area is clean, well kept and free of graffiti or litter. If a property is untidy and littered with trash and graffiti, it sends the message that no one cares for the property and undesirable behavior will be tolerated. 

 

SOURCE: 

Blending Physical Security Systems With Environmental Design For Optimized Crime Prevention Solutions. Security Informed, 2021.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Remote Loss Prevention Monitoring Enables Businesses to Secure Operations from Anywhere

Remote Loss Prevention Monitoring Enables Businesses to Secure Operations from Anywhere

Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

In-person loss prevention and security audit for retail locations isn’t going away any time soon, and shouldn’t. Sometimes you just need to visit a place, if only to show the frontline workers that you genuinely care and are serious about theft and loss, and nothing can replace walking through a retail space with the on-site leader. 

Remote video monitoring allows businesses to conduct loss prevention audits from anywhere. This has a couple major benefits over traditional loss prevention audits:

  • It’s cheaper because you don’t need to travel to a location to conduct the audit. .
  • It’s faster, so you can audit more stores in a day and increase the frequency of your audits

Today, asset protection professionals are being asked to do more with less these days. Remote loss prevention and security audits allow field workers and leaders to do just that. 

 

SOURCE: 

Langley, C. Loss Prevention And Security Audits In Retail. Security Informed, September 2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats