The Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) Future of LP Working Group has recently been talking about loss prevention associates of the future. What skill sets are important today? What qualifications and abilities will be in demand down the road?
One thing is certain: loss prevention must keep up with the ever-evolving world of retail. Challenges faced by current loss prevention associates will shift as technologies change and criminals modify their behaviors, but they won’t ever go away. Therefore, according to Tom Meehan, CFI, in the latest Future of LP column (May-June 2016), one of the highest-rated characteristics for current loss prevention associates is adaptability and intelligence, or “having a good head on their shoulders.”
In the column (“LP Associates of the Future”), Meehan also examines how the characteristics for current associates will still be important in the future LP industry, but that associates will begin to approach problems in a different way. From the column:
“With greater interconnectivity of technology, it appears that the loss prevention associate can no longer rely solely on good investigative interviewing skills and intuition; however, those characteristics will remain as a backbone for them in the future. With the availability of data and the various ways it can be looked at, the future LP associate should be looking to detect certain crimes before they happen or conduct their surveillance more in line with the ‘hot spot’ policing tactics employed by law enforcement.”
Is your company still relying on dated employee training materials? The retail landscape is changing, and it’s important to ensure that training is in line with future expectations. Check out “LP Associates of the Future” to read the full column. You can also visit the Table of Contents for the May-June 2016 issue or register for a free subscription to the magazine.