Retailers already suffering financially from capacity restrictions are seeing a sharp rise in organized retail crime. Los Angeles and San Francisco are two of the top five cities for organized crime in the nation, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Security guards help prevent organized retail crime by patrolling stores and watching entrances.

Targeted Items. The NRF says criminals look for both high-end products and cheap, in demand goods that are easy to sell. Top items are designer clothing, laundry detergent, razors, designer handbags, deodorant, laptops/tablets, high-end liquor, infant formula, painkillers and allergy medicine. Crime ring theft losses average over $700,000 per $1 billion in sales.

Guards Trained To Spot Criminals. Security guards trained in organized retail crime prevention, look for signs that criminals have entered the store. Crime rings often come in groups and immediately spread out. They fail to make eye contact with store employees and seem nervous or distracted. They attempt to stash items in oversized coats or purses.

Some organized crime rings recruit employees. Security guards stationed at point of sale sites watch transactions to ensure they are legitimate.

A NRF retail survey in 2020 shows that many storeowners (36 percent) feel they are not receiving the help they need from local police. With police unable to protect every retail outlet, storeowners must devise their own methods to keep crime rings out.

Security guard company Access Control Security provides security to retailers in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Hiring security guards, installing security cameras, securing commonly stolen items, conducting employee background checks and toughening return merchandise policies are some of the ways retailers can fight back against the organized retail crime crisis.

For more information about retail security guard services for retailers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and throughout California and Arizona, call Access Control Security  at 877-482-7324 or go to https://accesscontrolsecurity.com/quote-request.