When CCTV doesn’t help

March 5th, 2008

I was reading my local paper today and couldn’t help but notice the headline “Businesses hit by catalytic crimes”. Apparently there has been a string of thefts involving catalytic converters. One business captured the thieves on CCTV but unfortunately for them, the group of thieves were all wearing “hoodies”.

This was always the main weakness of a security strategy based solely on CCTV. Of course they will only conceal their faces during the actual commission of the crime but probably not on their way to the premises or on their from the premises.

It seems to me that a simple review of the CCTV in the immediate area might reveal the faces of the suspects. Case closed!

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What is Retail Fraud?

November 12th, 2007

Retail crime in the UK is estimated at well above the £½ billion mark per year. 80% of retail fraud is at point of sale, i.e. till fraud.

Retail businesses lose an average of 1% to retail fraud each year. Research shows that 25% of employees are totally honest, 25% are totally dishonest, and the remaining 50% are swayed by opportunity.

Many members of staff do not regard consuming goods or taking goods for personal use as theft, but as perks of the job.

Till fraud is totally predictable, and is a function of the degree of security employed. Awareness significantly reduces your risks. If you operate tills, all your staff must be vetted, monitored and spot checked at all times to ensure that risks are kept to a minimum.

Detection methods must be robust, resilient and adequate if they are to combat the scourge of rogue staff perpetrating till fraud. Once theft or fraud is detected, the culprits must be caught sooner rather than later, and sanctions imposed within the limits of the law.

CATEGORIES OF TILL FRAUD

• Sweet-hearting: An accomplice (“sweet-heart”) presents expensive items for purchase. The till operator either rings up the items at a lower price, or fails to register items altogether. This type of loss shows up later as “shrinkage”.

• No Sales/Void: “No sales” purchases accumulate a cash surplus in the till, which is then removed by the end of the shift. “No sales” should be exceptional items, and should be checked, in particular towards the end of the shift. This, however, makes heavy demands on management time, which gives rogue staff the  opportunity they are looking for. Voids are a variation of “No sale”, with a genuine purchase cancelled after the client has left the premises. The surplus is removed from the till by shift end.

• Returns and Refunds: Items of stock are removed from the shelves and presented to the till for refund. Cash is paid to an accomplice (sweet-heart) or to the till operator.

• Substitute Scanning: Where checkouts are equipped with barcode scanning devices, the operator passes two items over the scanning device at one time so that only one item is recorded (normally the low value item).

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INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWING

April 16th, 2007

It is essential to recognise that the key purpose in conducting an interview is to obtain facts/evidence, and to search for the truth, from the interviewee in a fair and proper manner.

Best practice is a method called the PEACE model. Planning & Preparation, Engage & Explain, Account, Closure & Evaluation. At the centre of this model is a commitment to best practice, communication skills, control, structure and flexibility.

Planning & Preparation: Planning is the mental process of getting ready. In planning the interviewer must understand;

• The object of the interview

• The relevant rules, regulations or points to prove

• What evidence is already to hand

• What deficiencies exist and what might be done about them

• How to prepare a flexible approach

• What rules must be followed

• What is known about the interviewee

In Preparation, interviewers must think about such things as the location of the interview, the environment and the administrative side e.g. should you have female witness present.

Engage & Explain: All interviews must start somewhere. There are two elements – the human side and the administrative side.

The engage element deals with the human side, set within the principle that first impressions are very important and set the tone for the interview. The explain element deals with the formalities required by law, rules or regulations or best practice and describing to the interviewee how the interview will be conducted.

Account: Having planned, prepared and opened the interview correctly, we come to the core of the interview. There are two styles of interviewing that can be followed at this point depending upon the application.The Cognitive Interview technique is designed for witnesses and has at its heart a process that allows the interviewee to relive the event about which you want information.

In the Conversation Management technique, the interviewee is asked to provide an account of what happened – the interviewer sub-divides this account into parts and probes for more detail, linking each sub-divided part to the next. Using this technique, it is essential that the interviewer be in control of the interview. He or she directs the interview and determines when specific areas are to be probed. This style is appropriate when the witness or suspect is unwilling to be totally frank or honest.

Closure: Before the formal closure of an interview, the interviewers should accurately summarise what has been said, and check that what has been said by each is correctly understood.

Evaluation: The post interview evaluation should look at three areas:

• The information obtained during the interview

• The evidence accumulated during the entire investigation

• The interviewers reflection on his/her own performance during the interview

A review of the information obtained is essential, if admissions were made, what checks might be made to corroborate these? If denials, what checks might be made to prove ordisprove these?

The PEACE model is universally acknowledged as current best practice.

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