No. Prevention first; arrests a last resort
The scene: A customer walks into a store, grabs merchandise and walks out with no visible signs of fear or anxiety on his or her part; in fact, will even look straight at the cashier and “flips them off” while exiting.
This scenario is frustrating and the cashier wants to know why he or she can’t do anything about it. How is it that these criminals repeatedly return to the same store and nothing is done?
Retail theft is on the rise as reported by many retailers (1.4 per cent of sales on average). We need to look at a number of factors for this increase, including policing, the justice system and general socio-economic conditions.
These are issues that are beyond the control of the individual retailer, including the fact offenders are reportedly more aggressive and they claim to face no risk of reprisals.
Retailers are passionate about the need to create a safe work and shopping environment for employees and customers. They are also aware that theft and fraud eat away at margins, which could put them out of business.
The “safety first” mantra means only trained investigators can make arrests. Nobody disputes this, and employees quite frankly don’t want to put their life on the line.
The challenge is how to find a balance to remain safe, profitable and successful. Unfortunately, the sheer nature of the business means they are also a constant target of the criminal element.
Does that mean arresting every shop- lifter is the right thing to do? Before answering with an absolute yes, let’s look at what that entails.
Arresting shoplifters takes on a new set of challenges:
The robust training and certification requirements of hiring in-house
The risk of litigation for any mistaken accusations made along the way The lack of timely police response The failure to successfully see cases through the court system because of case overload
Finally, once again, the nature of safety first if the arrest becomes violent.
As policing resources become strained across the country, the need for legislative changes to allow retailers more power in Canada is imperative. Additionally, as our criminal court system rightly places violent crimes at a higher level than shoplifting, alternatives are being explored, such as restorative justice and civil recovery, rather than just dropping cases from the system.
This allows retailers to recuperate their financial losses directly from shoplifters. It would also ensure that only the most serious and repeat offenders are processed by the criminal justice system.
Perhaps a special court system to process shoplifters is warranted?
For these reasons, a number of retailers have sought out alternatives to arresting shoplifters.
Arresting shoplifters should be a last resort, anyway. Prevention programs have always been more effective than arresting shoplifters. And great prevention programs result in far fewer shoplifters to have to deal with.
They start with great customer service. The same cashier who watched the shoplifter flip them off should be acknowledging the suspect BEFORE he or she commits the offence. One myth buster should be called out: retailers no longer increase their prices to cover the cost of shoplifting. The retail environment is too competitive, so they eat the loss, and stakeholders suffer.
Aretail business must strike a security balance while also being vigilant about not offending honest customers with intrusive and restrictive surveillance. Most retail businesses have security cameras, and while retailers do not have the right to post footage openly, the police do. This practice is increasing in frequency. People who commit crimes do not want to be exposed, and seeing your image in the Star is enough to make anybody think twice.
Looking across the spectrum of different retailers in Canada, you will find a wide range of different programs.
They are different because they adapt to the environment of the retail brand. There is no absolute program, outside of aggressive customer service, that will work everywhere.
One thing is clear, every retailer is concerned about employee safety and, while some may frown upon the decisions made regarding shoplifting, they cannot dispute the fact that it is not a decision made frivolously, and safety first is the guiding principle.