Understanding and Preventing Commercial Theft

From recent data, Statistica found that 16,944 robberies took place in parking lots, drop lots, or garages.

For businesses with parking lots, this highlights the importance of protecting them for the sake of employees and customers.

With many left asking, why are figures so high, and how can I prevent this from impacting my business and customers?

Our security experts at LotGuard look at why commercial theft is such a major issue for retailers and other organizations, exploring the best approach to limit possible threats in these areas.

Why Do Thieves Target Retailers and Commercial Organizations?

The simple answer is due to the high number or value of goods stored within your premises. 

Retailers and commercial organizations will keep their goods in-store as this is the nature of the industry, however, this also provides a perfect sanctuary for thieves.

And even more enticingly, there’s a higher likelihood that thieves will be able to gain a large financial reward with commercial theft than with other industries due to the opportunities they have to steal multiple goods in one instance.

Some will even go one step further and build Organized Crime Gangs (OCGs) to implement targeted strikes on retail and commercial organizations, often leading to better rewards and a higher chance of remaining uncaptured following the crime. 

Other dangers that lead them to be at risk is the lack of occupancy after work hours and in darkness. 

For most retailers and commercial organizations, there is unlikely to be any employees or customers at the business after hours and this makes them easier targets for thieves.

They will be considering numerous factors, with one of the main ones being the number of potential witnesses that could prevent them from committing their crimes or risk their capture. 

Unfortunately for many retailers and commercial organizations, there will rarely be any individuals present there at night, and this makes them a greater target than other building types. 

However, as commercial theft is more common at night, retail trends have shown that more brazen, daytime attacks such as smash-and-grab theft are becoming increasingly popular.

Overall, retailers and commercial organizations are faced with heightened risks of theft that can be devastating to the business, the safety of customers and employees, and their reputation, both short and long-term.

The Effects of Commercial Theft on Retailers and Commercial Organizations

As mentioned, there are some key consequences most businesses will face following commercial theft. Most obviously, the financial loss from having goods stolen and having to replace this stock. 

Tactics can be aggressive with commercial theft, particularly where OCGs are involved. In these instances and in general, this crime can place employees and customers at risk who may encounter active theft.

Other knock-on effects of commercial theft are:

• Poor business reputation, especially where repeated incidents of theft has taken place
• Employee absenteeism or loss due to safety concerns
• Potential legal repercussions
• Increased insurance premiums
• Lowered employee morale

These knock-on effects can be difficult to recover from and for some businesses can be so catastrophic, they’re only left with one option; to close their business. Even larger stores such as Walmart have been forced to close their stores in response to theft.

Discover More on the Rise of Retail Theft and How to Protect Yourself Against This

How to Prevent Commercial Theft

Parking Lot Security

Parking lots create multiple opportunities for would-be criminals such as vehicle theft, car component theft, personal property theft, violent attacks, and vandalism.

Although your parking lot may be external to your retail store or commercial organization, you still hold a duty of care to protect those within it, otherwise your business could face legal and financial consequences. 

Utilizing remote mobile video surveillance can address these issues while improving risk management and safety for employees, customers, and visitors.

With LotGuard, parking lots can be made safer for users, and property owners can reduce liability exposure.

Our fully autonomous Mobile Surveillance Trailer provides 24/7 security, and each solution is customizable with different camera options to suit your requirements.

For example, infrared cameras that see in low or no light areas can spot potential threats regardless of conditions, perfect for overnight coverage or to reach blindspots in your parking lot.

You also need to consider where most crimes like retail or commercial theft begin. 

With most external attacks, they will start on the outside of your store or building, likely in the parking lot. The LotGuard PRO Surveillance Trailer provides a proactive, reactive security solution that aims to detect, deter, and prevent crime at their earliest stage possible.

From sirens and live voice-down audio messages to live recording and calling Law Enforcement when required, we support you from start to finish.

Employ Security Guards For Your Store or Commercial Organization

Physical security always helps to boost the criminal deterrence factor your retail store or commercial organization needs to protect against theft.

You should consider both internal and external security guards that ensure you are covered from all access points. 

Internally, they should be monitoring customers and employees’ behavior to ensure there is no suspicious activity to be concerned about. 

Those inside should be there to intercept or react to any theft that is seen taking place.

Whereas externally, security guards could be utilized to protect any entrance points, patrol the parking lot, and provide a sense of security to customers and employees entering the property.

Retail Event Security

Retailers often host seasonal sales events (i.e., Black Friday), resulting in larger crowds gathering at the store and parking lots.

Pre-planning the security for these events should be a priority. Mobile video surveillance cameras can plug the gaps in your physical security resources, allowing you to monitor what’s happening without hiring multiple, expensive guards.

LotGuard’s cameras deliver live and recorded video through our LTE transmission technology, allowing for remote viewing of live and archived video at any time, regardless of location.

Increase Employee and Customer Safety

Remote video monitoring is vital in providing safety for employees and customers.

An accredited monitoring center can watch live events during critical periods, such as opening and closing when the chance of theft is higher. In contrast, they can keep an eye on the parking lots for when employees are leaving work to ensure their safety.

LotGuard units are backed by a fully-managed service that includes off-site camera alert monitoring.

Our security personnel watch your cameras and can issue live audio challenges to help prevent crimes in progress.

This, in turn, makes the parking environment safer for your customers and employees, reducing the chance of absenteeism and employees leaving.

Engage With Law Enforcement and Report Incidents Promptly

Law Enforcement are there to support the public’s safety including businesses facing issues like theft and vandalism.

If you find you are facing regular thefts or wish to prevent them from taking place, you should engage with Law Enforcement to gain guidance on the best measures to take to protect yourself against theft and other commercial-related crimes.

They can support you in managing incidents and provide you with the process of reporting if theft were to take place at your store. 

You should ensure that when an incident takes place that you report it promptly to provide you with the strongest chance of capturing the criminals involved and minimizing financial loss.

Protect Your Store and Commercial Organization with Parking Lot Security Solutions

Take control of commercial theft with LotGuard’s parking lot security solution.

In addition to physical security, our Surveillance Trailer adds a layer of protection to monitor retail centers, parking lots, and common areas 24-hours a day to ensure the safety of your customers, employees, and property.

Our mobile surveillance units have been specifically created for the sole purpose of parking lot security because the provide fully autonomous surveillance units that provide 24/7 security to your parking lots and properties without needing mounting poles, onsite power, or an internet connection.

Our Trailers can be provided with a customized camera profile to ensure your retail or commercial parking lot is fully secured with no compromises.

Camera enhancements include:

• License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras: Our LPR technology automatically scans and stores license plates to assist with crime investigation and access management.
• Infrared: LotGuard can provide an industry-leading 650ft IR illumination for total coverage at night.
• Solar Powering: Both the LotGuard PRO and MINI use solar powering options.
• Video Analytics: LotGuard features built-in video analytics technology. This intelligent surveillance software allows you to configure a series of automatic detection rules that will alert you when motion is .detected

Whether you customize your cameras with any of the above will depend on what best suits your retail store or commercial organization, however, here at LotGuard we are happy to help you select the most appropriate system for your needs.