Black Friday and Cyber Monday have extended the busy winter shopping period further back into the year, placing more demand than ever on warehouses and distribution centres.
Not only has online shopping massively increased the scale of logistics and need for secure warehousing, it has also made it far easier for criminals to sell stolen goods.
How is a customer on eBay, for example, supposed to be able to identify items that were stolen? And in the run up to Christmas when they’re looking for a bargain, would they even care if they did know?
The period around Cyber Monday is a high-risk event when it comes to security, as the electronics-focused nature of the event means that there is an increase of easy-to-sell items moving around a warehouse floor which is far busier than normal.
If you suspect that your warehouse security isn’t as robust as it should be, or if you have had issues with stock going missing, make sure you fortify your loss prevention before Cyber Monday, otherwise any weaknesses will quickly be revealed.
While robbery of warehouses and delivery vehicles is a serious concern (as I’ve written about before), it is far more likely that theft in your warehouse will come from within, especially in the peak shopping period from Black Friday to Christmas when you may hire temporary staff to meet demand.
You need active security in place to protect your warehouse from internal theft. Don’t just rely on your inventory tracking system, otherwise by the time you are alerted about a stock discrepancy, it may already be too late.
Security guards are the backbone of an effective security plan. They can perform random inspections of vehicles leaving the warehouse, random searches of employees and monitor the floor for any signs of suspicious activity.
Next is CCTV, which is useful both for deterring theft and collecting evidence should you need to take disciplinary action. But CCTV is only an effective deterrent if it is being monitored. In many workplaces, it isn’t, and it doesn’t take long for employees to become aware of this.
A common reason CCTV isn’t monitored is a lack of staff who are available to monitor it but, thanks to the internet, CCTV monitoring isn’t something that needs to be carried out internally.
At Magenta, we offer remote CCTV monitoring which directs the feed of internet-connected CCTV cameras to the security officers in our control rooms. They can then alert your in-house security officers or managers to any suspicious activity.
Unfortunately, the security guards you hire to prevent theft can end up being a source of theft themselves, as seen in the 2017 case where security guards stole £250,000 worth of electronic items from an Amazon warehouse.
This highlights the importance of hiring security guards who work for a reputable security company who goes above and beyond in their vetting and background checks.
While the employment status of the guards who stole from Amazon is not known, you should always hire security guards who are directly employed by their security company if you want to reduce the risk of hiring poor quality or even criminal security guards.
Many security guards, especially those brought in for seasonal demand such as warehousing, are self-employed and then subcontracted out by security companies. With lower pay, less dedication to their job and far less to lose, self-employed security guards are more likely to be a liability.
At Magenta Security, we go above and beyond the legal requirements when vetting new security guards. Then, if we hire them, they become full-time employees dedicated to their careers. This is why we have an industry-leading retention rate amongst our security guards.
Improving your warehouse security starts with a risk assessment from one of our security managers. They will thoroughly inspect your site and discuss your security concerns so that we can provide the most effective security solution for your budget.
To arrange your free, no-obligation risk assessment for your warehouse, call our award-winning customer services team now on 0800 772 3786.
Abbey Petkar
