When operating a retail business the question always comes to mind is just how much security is required. The doors and windows which are vulnerable areas for any business are usually the first areas addressed. This helps to deter the break in thieves, but what about the shoplifters? This class of people are usually pretty brazen at their activities when it comes to Toronto stores.
For very large retail outlets they normally have several forms of shoplifting detection in place. These will range from surveillance cameras to anti theft gates that will sound off an alarm if someone is attempting to remove items from a store without paying.
Many of the smaller retail businesses do not have this sort of security in place. What they will often rely on his magnification mirrors.
Recently though during a large bust on a Toronto shop lifting ring it showed that having these security gates in place were just not enough. A Toronto news release gives the details…
“Toronto police crack ‘sophisticated’ shoplifting ring
Two people are facing charges and a third is being sought after Toronto police and loss-prevention officers cracked a “sophisticated” and organized shoplifting ring that they say targeted major retailers in southwestern Ontario and as far away as Montreal.
In what police are calling one of the largest “loss-prevention recovery investigations” in North American history, officers raided two locations near Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue West last Thursday, seizing about $390,000 worth of stolen items – from pants and bras to bottles of foot cream and tubes of toothpaste – that were being sold for a profit out of a house that was set up like a retail store, investigators said Wednesday.
Part of the house had display shelves stocked with the stolen items, allowing customers to browse the merchandise, while other rooms were used to store the rest of the stock, said Det. Bruno Miron….continue reading
This just goes to show that no shop owner can ever become complacent with their security not to say that this was the case in this particular circumstance. These sophisticated thieves devised away to fool the anti theft gates by constructing bags that were especially lined to prevent the detection of stolen goods.
While no one piece of security protection is 100% fool proof by having rings of protection or multiple forms it great reduces the chances of the thieves coming out the winner. While many businesses suffered in this particular case at least their despicable actions have been brought to an end.
Soon the Christmas rush will be upon Toronto businesses and now is the time to beef up the security. Just give Pre-lock a call at 416-773-5625 and our security experts will be happy to assess your business security and recommend what needs to be beefed up.
