When I started researching this informative article I was aghast at the amount of robberies that occur in Australia every year. Over 15,000 robberies were recorded by the Australian Institute of Crime for 2009. Shoplifting is now an issue for small company however you will find strategies that you can implement to minimise the chance of someone stealing from you.

The staggering figure is that over half of all small businesses have now been a prey of crime and on average will miss $7,800 a year because of shoplifting and burglary. Whilst certain business types and industries tend to be more susceptible to robberies such as for example corner stores, pharmacies, newsagencies and bottle shops, any small company could be affected by this sort of crime.

There are several simple steps that you can implement to simply help minimise your shop being a shoplifting addiction.

The first faltering step is to ensure you have a clearly articulated policy for shoplifters. The policy should identify how you will deal with a shoplifter and the way you handle them in the event that you catch someone. We realize from research that companies which have a powerful shoplifter policy and a tough prosecution policy is less probably be a target of shoplifting. Mind you it doesn't guarantee that you won't have a problem.

The very best deterrent from theft is to possess staff that are always looking for people who look as though they may be up to no good. A good camera system can be another great deterrent but the stark reality is that a lot of professional crooks don't value the cameras. I have seen footage of theft gangs that just don't care if they get caught or are seen on camera. Surveillance cameras may also be becoming an essential tool in prosecuting the offenders because they supply undisputable evidence of the offence.

The important thing with shoplifting is to catch them before they leave your store so having staff walking on the isles and a camera system will provide you with the most effective type of defence. Other tools that do are well are convex mirrors, two ways mirrors and peepholes at key points and positions in your store. Always ensure there are no dead areas in your store where potential thieves can actually steal the physical products.

In regards to staff management ensure that you assign a staff member to different regions of the store and ensure it is their responsibility to guard those areas. Another simple technique is to encourage your staff to greet any visitor to your store. This will often put the potential crook on the trunk foot.

There are several key things to consider if you are monitoring your store:

1. Monitor you customers to see if they maintain eye contact. Quite often a shoplifter can have shaking hands and their eyes will soon be constantly searching

2. Watch for customers who simply wander through the store whilst trying in order to avoid your staffs attention

3. Customers with baggy clothes and in particular hoodies certainly are a major concern particularly when the current weather doesn't match their clothes

4. Monitor your colleagues to see if they are distracted whilst among their accomplices may actually be doing the theft.

Finally it ought to be store policy that bags, boxes, purses and cases are at the mercy of an examination ahead of leaving the store. It's also wise to include anti-shoplifting signs in your store to ensure everyone understands you take shoplifting addiction seriously.

Whilst no one of these simple tips will actually stop a theft, they'll certainly assist you to in minimising the chance your small company is a victim of shoplifting.