Business security is well established as a priority cost, and most organisations are happy to invest appropriately to secure their business from the threat of theft, vandalism, trespass and nuisance. But it is important to monitor trends in terms of changing and emerging security threats and to respond accordingly. While many businesses may concentrate their efforts on external security threats, there is an increasing risk of suffering from employee theft, and so implementing security controls to manage internal threats is also becoming increasingly important.
Many different industrial sectors are vulnerable to the threat of internal theft, with employees being pressurised by issues such as the cost of living crisis, job insecurity, the minimum wage and zero-hour contracts. Meanwhile, internal theft is particularly hard to detect because it is often the result of collusion between employees and friends or relatives. Also, it is common for organised gangs to target vulnerable employees and intimidate them into assisting their criminal schemes.
In which business sector is internal theft most common?
Internal theft is evidenced in manufacturing and industrial sites that operate on a 24-hour basis and often with unsupervised staff and access points which need to be open around-the-clock. Offices and corporate buildings are also open 24 hours and may only have a skeleton staff overnight. Events and hospitality is another sector where internal theft is rife, with temporary staff often used and busy environments with frequent financial transactions that are vulnerable to opportunist thieves.
But internal theft impacts the retail sector the most profoundly, including distribution and warehousing also. The British Retail Corporation recently announced that the UK retail sector had spent £1.8billion on security in 2023/24, and yet a report issued by Retail Economics claimed that internal theft in retail had cost the sector £3.2billion. 44% of this was attributed to theft in warehousing and distribution centres, where a larger volume of high value goods are stored, and where large areas are left unmanned for long periods. 28% of internal theft was identified in retail stores and the remaining 28% was attributed to the transport process.
Professional dog security to prevent internal theft
As a result of these alarming figures, retail operations have invested heavily in enhanced security measures such as CCTV, but also in search and detection dog teams. While CCTV systems are very effective for gathering evidence, they can be expensive when attempting to cover an entire site, and also are more of a reactive rather than preventive measure. As an alternative, search and detection dog teams:
- Are fast and reactive to prevent theft
- Can apprehend thieves in a safe and legal manner
- Can provide full site coverage alongside CCTV systems, so that large operations that are often unmanned are fully protected
- Can operate out-of-hours when sites are at their most vulnerable
- Can patrol and monitor locations that are vulnerable weak spots in a security system
- Can be discreet and professional where appropriate
- Can be utilised as a permanent or temporary solution as required
At React K9 we have teams of fully trained and licenced security dogs, who are able to be deployed on your site to deter internal theft. We can provide the above-listed features and benefits to identify internal theft and to prevent it having an impact on your business. With responsive search and detection dog teams we can help you manage employee theft so that you aren’t left counting the cost to your business. From the figures being released it is clear that internal theft is a security issue that every business needs to safeguard against. Contact React K9 and we can help you prevent internal theft within your business.
