Page 64 - Security Today, JulyAugust 2023

Addressing Unique Challenges Guest on associate violence has become part of retail security and loss prevention By Sean Foley Retailers of all sizes con- tinue to have unique chal- lenges when it comes to security and loss preven- tion issues. The 2022 NRF Retail Security Survey revealed that retail shrink has become an almost $100 bil- lion problem. Most survey respondents also reported that guest-on-associate violence, external theft, organized retail crime (ORC) and cybercrimes have be- come higher priorities for their organiza- tions. ORC has become so widespread that almost one third of retailers surveyed have established a dedicated ORC team. With so many threats coming from both within and outside of an organization, it is hard for retailers to know where to turn when looking to mitigate these growing risks. And while employee training is certainly an im- portant first line of defense, the amount of staff turnover in many establishments makes it difficult to keep employees current and en- gaged with security best practices. One answer might be to always have dedicated security guards on premises, yet few retail establishments can justify such a cost. Human guarding is not without its own issues as the profession suffers from an extremely high rate of turnover, and its presence can be seen to affect the customer experience. To complicate matters further, retail chains increasingly rely on commerce out- side the confines of the store such as buy- online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) services. The industry is willing to invest in solu- tions, but they want demonstrable results proportional to their unique needs and individual budgets. UNIQUE SOLUTIONS FOR RETAIL SECURITY Most retailers have a video surveillance system installed. However, if no one is watching, it can only ever provide evidence of an event that has already occurred. For loss prevention specialists looking to curb BY-_-BY/Shutterstock.com “Human guarding is not without its own issues as the profession suffers from an extremely high rate of turnover, and its presence can be seen to impact the customer experience.” 64 JULY/AUGUST 2023 | SECURITY TODAY losses instead of simply reporting them, a more proactive approach is needed. Ideal- ly, the goal is to stop losses or deter crime before it happens. Legacy security solutions are not de- signed for today’s retail service model. As a result, many retailers are working closely with managed service providers as an ex- tension of their own in-house teams. They are looking to employ the most effective technology solutions that will help them secure and scale their operations. AI-BASED CAMERAS WITH SMART VOICE DOWN CAPABILITIES The latest AI-based cameras with advanced analytics can extend the reach of loss pre- vention specialists by accurately alerting staff to certain behaviors such as loitering of people and vehicles. These same cameras paired with a capable VMS can also find perpetrators quickly with some solutions registering a criminal’s face for future noti- fication in the event they return. Automated and customized voice- down message services can also be sched- uled throughout the day through an or- ganization’s existing speaker system to remind customers and would-be bad ac- tors of the security presence. For example, persons who loiter can be met with a tiered and gradually escalating response from a voice-down system if they do not disperse after predetermined intervals. POINT OF SALE INTEGRATION WITH VIDEO To help combat shrink at the register, to- day’s POS exception reporting solutions can integrate with video surveillance sys- tems. By providing a video stream tied to every staff purchase, void, over/under RETAIL SECURITY