A centralized warehouse that distributes electronic equipment is vulnerable to theft, and, therefore, all risks should be analyzed and minimized to keep the equipment safe. It is important to know that according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, about $30 billion of shipments are lost each year (Heyn, 2014), and this is the exact reason why a security team in a warehouse should minimize all risks and follow the necessary procedures when investigating a theft and collecting evidence.
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Theft Prevention
Ensure routine inspections
A large volume of product is stored at the warehouse, and routine inspections will help to prevent theft, notice burglaries immediately after they take place, and identify possible vulnerabilities of the warehouse.
Analyze theft trends
A large warehouse is subject to regular theft, and in many cases, the warehouse faces an issue of employee theft. Thus, it is necessary to analyze what products are at the highest risk of being stolen and what is the frequency of theft. This information will help to put the most efforts at protecting goods that will potentially be stolen.
Minimize the time when loads are left unattended
Make sure that there are no instances when equipment is left unattended. If a security employee has to leave, another security employee should be watching how the equipment is loaded.
Prepare for the holidays
Equipment theft increases during the weekends (Ruriani, 2014), and this is the reason why the warehouse should be protected 24/7. There should be no exceptions to this rule, and security employees should be protecting the electronic equipment seven days a week.
Criminal Investigation
Investigation of a theft should start immediately after an incident of theft is noticed
The investigation should begin right when the security team is aware of the loss. Quick actions will help to find a thief and prevent future thefts.
View the video recorded by security cameras
Cameras are put throughout the warehouse, and electronic equipment is being remotely monitored. All video is stored in the cloud, so there is no possibility that someone can remove the recording.
If cameras did not record the act of theft, check the background of all employees and determine all suspects by running local criminal investigation checks
We need to determine who is a potential thief by checking personnel files and find the employees who were convicted of felons. If an employee had a civil suit filed against him/her, we will need to interrogate him/her.
Keep all information in full confidentiality
No information should be shared with anyone outside the security team.
Evidence Acquisition
We can find evidence by:
Checking the recordings of surveillance cameras
Cameras are located at strategic places at the warehouse, and recordings can help to determine who committed a crime.
Checking the recordings of hidden cameras
Also, there are hidden cameras, and only the head of the security team has an access to the recordings made by hidden cameras. In case of a need, call the head of the security team immediately.
Placing an undercover operative on the same shift when an act of theft took place
There is a procedure of placing an undercover operative, but this process will be outsourced to the third party. Only the head of the security team can make a decision to place an undercover operative.
Running a polygraph examination
In case there are several suspects, a polygraph examination will be run to determine who committed a crime.
Evidence Management
All results of evidence acquisition should be forwarded to the head of the security team immediately. Collected evidence should be kept in complete confidentiality and should not be shared with other employees.
References
Heyn, S. (2014). Cargo Security: Protecting the Supply Chain. Inbound Logistics. Retrieved 4 June 2016 from http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/cargo-security-protecting-the-supply-chain/
Ruriani, D. (2014). Reducing Cargo Theft. Inbound Logistics. Retrieved 4 June 2016 from http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/reducing-cargo-theft/
