Retailers lose billions of dollars every year due to shoplifting, organized retail crime, and employee theft. According to the 32nd National Retail Security Survey from the National Retail Federation, the largest risks to retailers today include organized retail crime, internal and external theft, and potential violence.
To combat theft, losses, and violence, retail crime investigators and risk management teams spend a significant amount of time managing evidence. This evidence needs to be compiled, stored, and securely shared during investigations and claims processes. Often, large volumes of video requests require loss prevention teams to export recordings and aggregate data from disparate systems across their sites. Efficiency is key to solving crimes quickly.
For some retailers, managing data for investigations means manually transferring video evidence to DVDs, videotapes, or USB sticks. They then ship or deliver this evidence to third parties, such as law enforcement. These methods can drain time and resources from personnel. They are also costly, inefficient, introduce privacy concerns, and reduce visibility into who is accessing and sharing potentially sensitive data.
One strategy addressing these pain points within the retail sector is digital evidence management systems (DEMS). Such applications simplify the complexity of exporting video and aggregating data.
DEMS offer multiple benefits for retailers, including cost savings, operational efficiencies during investigations, increased transparency and privacy protection, and preserved chain of custody. Retail teams can securely compile, review, and share digital evidence quickly with both internal and external stakeholders. Since DEMS are cloud-based applications, retailers do not have to worry about storage capacity or changing storage needs.
A Few Benefits of DEMS:
- Streamline Processes: By consolidating digital evidence into a single application, LP teams can efficiently facilitate the collection of video recordings, reports, and images. In some cases, retailers must preserve evidence for months or years. A secure, central location helps LP teams and other stakeholders preserve and manage that evidence efficiently.
- Respond and Share Information Quickly: DEMS allow authorized stakeholders to access cases and digital evidence in a few clicks. A wide range of video formats can be played directly in the system, eliminating the need to install proprietary video applications. External and internal stakeholders, such as law enforcement, legal, claims, risk management, and other departments, can also easily request evidence. They follow customized workflows to streamline and organize these requests.
- Protect Data: Managing video storage necessitates a solution that provides accountability and transparency. With the Genetec Clearance™ digital evidence management system, all files are automatically encrypted to ensure the security of the data at rest and in transit. Additionally, role-based access policies can be applied to preserve the chain of custody and ensure that only authorized personnel view cases and evidence. Detailed audit trail reports provide visibility and transparency into all access related to cases in the system.
- Manage the Evidence Lifecycle: Some retailers must follow retention mandates or guidelines. With DEMS, retailers can configure retention periods to ensure compliance. Because DEMS can easily scale to changing storage capacity needs, retailers do not have to purchase or maintain additional servers as their evidence demands grow.
For retailers, the daily stresses of crime and shrink require LP teams to work smarter, more efficiently, and digitally to help resolve cases, claims, and investigations. Implementing a DEMS allows a retailer to remain compliant, mitigate liability, streamline operations, and maintain the security of their data so they can ultimately help reduce retail losses.
As the Director of Signature Brands in Canada for Genetec, Nada Ebeid oversees the market growth for financial and banking, retail, cannabis, hospitality, and other signature markets. She’s responsible for helping customers meet their security solution goals and empowering them to leverage their security systems to improve other areas of their businesses.