New recommendations for action and enhanced cooperation to step up the prevention of shoplifting
Developing security in retail stores by preventing shoplifting, among other things, is very important to companies in terms of protecting their staff, customers and property. The Finnish Commerce Federation is happy with the work and recommendations for action of the working group set up by the National Council for Crime Prevention.
The working group, composed of actors of economic life and authorities, has planned actions for preventing shoplifting and submitted its report to the National Council for Crime Prevention. The report contains several recommendations for action to foster security in retail stores and to enhance cooperation between parties. This includes, among others, developing information exchange between stores and the police, youth and children targeted awareness campaigns, guides drawn up for stores and expanding well tried mediation practices.
The report, including the recommendations for action, has been one of the key goals of the security committee for the Finnish Commerce Federation for the current year, and the committee has been actively involved in drawing up the content for the report. From the standpoint of the entire commerce industry, it is important that concrete tools are offered against shoplifting and for improving security in retail stores as a whole.
By ensuring safety in retail stores we are protecting staff, customers and property
“Safety in retail store is an important part of comprehensive safety management of a company in the retail sector. By systematically developing different areas of business safety we can both protect customers and staff and save money, and act responsibly in this respect, too”, says Lauri Kulonen, Security and Safety Adviser in the Finnish Commerce Federation.
Mikko Koskinen, Chair of the security committee for the Finnish Commerce Federation and Head of the Risk Management Unit at SOK, who acted as the chair of the working group says that the Finnish Commerce Federation has estimated that the annual costs incurring to the retail sector can come up to €550 million.
“Safety in retail stores can be seen at the store level as safety services structural solutions and camera surveillance, but above all, safety is made up of a skillful staff and a working safety culture”, Koskinen says.
Both Kulonen and Koskinen underline that those guilty of shoplifting need to receive punishment for their actions, also for the purpose of preserving the credibility of the legal system and general obedience to the law. If necessary, we need to be able to commute recurrent fines into imprisonment.
Recommendations for action of the working group on the development of preventing shoplifting:
- Fostering the implementation of an electronic application for reporting thefts and offences in cooperation with the Finnish Commerce Federation, businesses and the police.
- Utilising the statististics related to the companies’ internal safety in retail stores in order to form a situational picture on shoplifting.
- Continuing the work of the working group on preventing shoplifting beyond its actual term of office.
- Collecting international comparative information on preventing shoplifting.
- Developing local mediation taking into account best experiences from street mediation.
- Implementing the “Mun vastuu, mun elämä” campaign of Economy and youth TAT and the Finnish Commerce Federation during the year 2020 and ensuring further financing for the upcoming years.
- Drawing up a guide to be used by stores on working with young and marginalised people showing symptoms.
- Enhancing cooperation between the commerce sector and authorities on local safety planning.
The Finnish Commerce Federation is pleased with the concrete recommendations for action drawn up by the working group and will foster their implementation with authorities. The implementation of the recommendations shall be agreed upon, after which the progress will be monitored in the security committee for the Finnish Commerce Federation and with the working group on the development of preventing shoplifting for the parts requiring cooperation with authorities.
The final report of the working group on the development of preventing shoplifting is available here (in Finnish):
For further information, please contact:
Lauri Kulonen, Security and Safety Adviser, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 (0)40 419 9309, lauri.kulonen@pty.fi
Mikko Koskinen, Chair of the security committee for the Finnish Commerce Federation, Head of the Risk Management Unit at S Group, tel. +358 (0)10 76 82421, mikko.koskinen(at)sok.fi
Background
The working group on the development of preventing shoplifting was set up for the term 1 March 2019–28 February 2020 by the National Council for Crime Prevention established in the Ministry of Justice. Mikko Koskinen, Chair of the security committee for the Finnish Commerce Federation and Head of the Risk Management Unit at SOK acted as the chair of the working group whose members consisted of representatives from the Finnish Commerce Federation, retail sector and authorities working on the issue.
The goal of the working group set up was to gather information on the situation and specificities regarding shoplifting in Finland and to make a proposal in order to decrease shoplifting. Having planned actions for the prevention of shoplifting, the working group submitted its report to the National Council for Crime Prevention in mid-May.
