Techniques for catching shoplifters

shogunronin

Full Registered User
This is a question for those who have had a lot of success catching shop lifters via CCTV.

What technique do you use when viewing the cameras on a busy shop floor ? Do you watch customers/staff who show suspicious behavior or focus on hot spot areas where empty packaging is dumped or watching the hot areas themselves? (Alcohol, meat, sandwiches etc etc ) ? Big products or small ?

Do you focus primarily on customers with big bags/holdalls?

I've gone through quite a lot of phases on what types of people to watch on CCTV. Although in my experience thus far someone could walk in with a big Santa sack but if they do not exhibit any suspicious behavior they don't do anything.

I guess my mind is a bit over worked on what method is best to catch a lot of people.

Any ideas ?
 
Sounds silly I always used to look at there footwear and where they was in store ie did it fit in with the appearance of the person as to what they were looking at.
 
Watch them as they come through the door. They'll often look up to see where the cameras are. Its a sort of quick look to see where it is so you can avoid it. Daft but they often do it. Or they keep their head well down. Also look for unusual patterns of movement around the shop. ie. Browsing lots of different things but always in the less seen areas.

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Watch them as they come through the door. They'll often look up to see where the cameras are. Its a sort of quick look to see where it is so you can avoid it. Daft but they often do it. Or they keep their head well down. Also look for unusual patterns of movement around the shop. ie. Browsing lots of different things but always in the less seen areas.

Sent from my Scroll Pocket using Close Protection World mobile app
That action, of looking for the cameras would have, not for the first time, has had me followed around a shop. The last time in the UK it happened a couple of times. The second time it happened, I stopped and pointed at him, and 'mouthed' don't waste your time. However, he followed me up and down each isle. I didn't buy anything, and he actually saved me money, as I went into M&S a bought an almost identical sweater for a lot less than in Harrods.
 
Hi mate,

It all depends. I usually eliminate first any potential on the shopfloor by checking them simply out, this lasts usually 1-3 mins. Thereafter I focus on the main entrance whilst re-scanning the already checked out visitors ones in a while.

The professionals take their time, they might be in recce "calm" mode (hence no alerts), once they make up their mind, they switch to thieving "nervous" mode (alerts). Hence I re-scan some secondary targets which could possibly become primary.

I focus mostly on the stock itself, just the high value goods. I set the cameras like a trap and wait. On a busy Saturday I rather go on the floor as it is way too busy and you can see more alerts from there. Once I get an alert I return to CCTV and observe from there.
 
Thank you everyone for the replies.

LittleWoman those are some awesome tips and I have implemented them into my guarding.

Haganah - Some great tips too and I am going to try those on my next shifts. I never used to focus on the high value goods I mostly focused on sandwiches, alcohol, meat as these were hot spot areas in my store but then again I would be saving the company more money by focusing on higher value goods as well in the end.

What I have found is customers showing 'suspicious signs' can be really hard to spot. For example in my training I was told that shoplifters will look side to side to make sure they're not being watched but the shop lifters do it so much more subtle than this. It can be sometimes a mere shark look of the eyes side to side without the head moving - hard to spot on CCTV or a regular patrol.

I guess I need to improve my 'sensitivity' to customers showing suspicious behavior. For example we have a fantastic guard at our site and he told me 'that woman just glanced at us from the corner of her eye..'' - I missed it. I also remember today catching two girls with big bags give me the big gawking eyes as I walked around the corner.. another subtle suspicious behavior sign.

What are some things to watch out for when patrolling in regards to suspicious behavior ? I am not talking about what bags they have but just facial animations and body language in general.

Thank you everyone for your time,
 
After some reflection I think building relationships with the staff and getting them to report suspicious behavior should be another factor to consider.

- Lol yeah Carl we caught two butt ugly women trying to steal £100 pounds worth of meat a few months ago
 
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