Today, shoplifting has become a significant problem that leads to billions of dollars of losses worldwide (Hayes, Downs, & Blackwood, 2012, p. 2). In order to prevent it, a number of methods are used, such as hiring security persons, radio-frequency identification tags, video surveillance, etc. (Arroyo, Yebes, Bergasa, Daza, & Almazán, 2015). In this paper, I will perform an analysis of a drugstore to find out its weaknesses in theft prevention. To do that, I will first describe the pharmacy’s interior and surveillance systems, and then will outline the problems with its security.
The drugstore in which I performed my analysis has the shape of a right trapezoid with the bases of approximately 10 and 25 feet; the length of the side which joins the bases at the right angles is nearly 15 feet. At the shorter base, the cashier’s counter is located. The entrance to the drugstore is approximately in the middle of the longer base of the trapezoid. Between the counter and the longer base of the trapezoid, a number of shelves with various drugs can be found. There are also shelves near all the sides of the trapezoid except for the one where there is the cashier’s counter. Some cheaper medicines and goods (herbs, shampoos, some creams, hygiene products such as cotton swabs and paper handkerchiefs, etc.) are stored on the shelves, whereas most of the merchandise is kept in the storeroom behind the cashier’s counter.
Near the entrance to the drugstore, two RF detectors (flat, rectangle-shaped, approximately 5.5 feet high) can be found. There are three cameras in the shop; the first one is facing the cashier’s counter, the second one is directed at the center of the trapezoid, whereas the third one records what is happening at the exit. There are no security persons inside the pharmacy; the drugstore belongs to the same company as the big supermarket the entrance to which is situated two meters from the pharmacy’s entrance, so a security person can arrive from the supermarket rather fast if the pharmacist presses the button.
Clearly, there are a number of problems with the pharmacy’s security. First, a part of the merchandise is situated on the shelves inside the main room (the trapezoid), and a thief could just take some of them and walk out of the drugstore. Of course, the RF detectors make it harder, but if the thief manages to carry them above the detectors, they will not go off (which I tested myself). This can be done, e.g., if a thief is tall, is wearing a hood, and manages to put the merchandise inside of their hood or in some part of their clothes near their head. The cameras might not record the thief well enough if they are wearing a hood. In addition, because there is no security person inside the pharmacy, the pharmacist has to watch the shelves, and it is easy for them not to notice an individual performing some suspicious activity at the shelves, especially when there is someone at the counter and almost no people near the shelves. The pharmacist also has to go to the storeroom often, which leaves the shelves without attention.
On the other hand, the medications and goods that can be found on the shelves are mostly cheap. It is more likely for thieves to try to steal expensive goods, which are in the storeroom behind the counter and are virtually impossible to access unnoticed. However, a thief could still take a number of packs of medications, which could yield a loss of a few hundreds of dollars to the pharmacy if the thief is dexterous enough.
To sum up, it should be stressed that, in my opinion, the pharmacy does not have a strong theft prevention system. Storing the merchandise on shelves that are located near the entrance and accessible to the customers does not appear to discourage theft, and the absence of any significant safety measures near the exit might allow shoplifters to steal goods with relative ease.
References
Arroyo, R., Yebes, J. J., Bergasa, L. M., Daza, I. G., & Almazán, J. (2015). Expert video-surveillance system for real-time detection of suspicious behaviors in shopping malls.Expert Systems with Applications, 42(21), 7991-8005. Web.
Hayes, R., Downs, D. M., & Blackwood, R. (2012). Anti-theft procedures and fixtures: A randomized controlled trial of two situational crime prevention measures.Journal of Experimental Criminology, 8(1), 1-15. Web.