National Retail Investigation Police Unit Focuses on Organized & Violent Crime

More support against increasing levels of violence and aggression is coming for retailers, with an announcement from New Zealand Police that they will be setting up a National Retail Investigation Support Unit (Retail ISU). This is the first unit of its kind in this part of the world.

Data from Auror’s Crime Intelligence Platform shows serious incidents within retail, such as robberies and assaults, have doubled in the last 12 months and aggression and violence has increased by almost 20% in the grocery sector alone.

“We’ve had knives pulled on our security teams three times in the last month” - grocery retailer

“We’ve had to adapt our training significantly to cater for more violence.” - National Prevention Manager

“She presented the scissors and threatened us that if we try to stop them she will stab us. We backed off and let them go.” - security guard

By utilising data from the Auror platform, police have come up with a new approach to focus on the small number of offenders who are responsible for the majority of the loss and aggression.

Auror Co-CEO Phil Thomson notes that “while only 1 in 10 shoplifters are repeat offenders, these repeat offenders account for half of all serious events and are five times more likely to be violent or aggressive towards retail team members and customers”.

The Retail ISU was announced by police at the Retail NZ Summit on In-store Violence and Anti-Social Behaviour on 8 November. Police have designed this unit to better collaborate with the retail industry. This will allow police and retailers to work together to focus their efforts on this violent and aggressive behaviour, making the community safer for everyone.

This collaboration and setup of the Retail ISU is supported by police leadership with Commissioner Andrew Coster sharing ... Continue reading the full article here.
 

Retailers' Two Choices: Boost Security or Shut Down
Shoplifting wave forces US retailers to bulk up security — or just close shop

Organised crime rings revive questions about policing and sentencing laws

This year the holiday merrymakers will have more company than usual after the property owner, Caruso, boosted its security presence at The Grove with off-duty police and even special weapons and tactics team members.

The build-up comes after a wave of smash-and-grab thefts in LA and across the US — including an attempted break-in at a Nordstrom store at The Grove in late November. About 20 suspects used hammers to try to beat through the retailer’s storefront windows, but were slowed by the ballistic film that Caruso had installed to reinforce the glass. Three people were arrested.

“It’s a very healthy show of force,” said Rick Caruso, the property developer who owns The Grove. He said he had trained the officers to seem friendly so as not to break the holiday spirit.

This wave of brazen, flash mob-style shoplifting has amplified pressures on retailers already feeling the strain of supply chain problems and the pandemic-induced explosion in online shopping. It has intensified a heated national conversation about policing and sentencing laws in the US. And, company chiefs say, it has terrified their employees.

On Thursday, the heads of 20 retailers, including CVS, Home Depot and Target, wrote to Congressional leaders to urge them to act. “Criminal networks and unscrupulous businesses have exploited a system that protects their anonymity to sell unsafe, stolen, or counterfeit products with little legal recourse,” they warned.

The retail chief executives admitted, however, that there was “no simple answer” to the retail crimewave, which industry experts also attribute to police staffing, social dislocations such as the opioid epidemic and pandemic-era changes that have seen petty criminals released who would once have been held in custody pending payment of bail.

Until there is more co-ordination, Caruso is concerned that smaller retailers will continue to struggle. “For people like myself with resources for security, that’s one thing. But the majority of businesses are small businesses and depend on law enforcement for their security,” he said. “That’s the shame of it.” ft.com

Snapchat and Other Apps Were Used to Plan Flash-Mob Thefts, Police Say

Suspects in recent crimes at Nordstrom, Best Buy and Louis Vuitton stores often don’t know each other, making investigations difficult

SAN FRANCISCO—A recent rash of thefts by fast-moving mobs at stores in the Bay Area and outside Minneapolis were organized on social media and committed by people who often didn’t know one another, according to law-enforcement officials investigating the incidents.

Snapchat was among the social-media apps and messaging services used by thieves in the Bay Area, one of the law-enforcement officials said.

The organizing tactics, which police say they haven’t seen before, make it difficult to catch or identify perpetrators, that official said. When suspects are arrested, they often don’t have names or information about others who were there.

“This isn’t ‘The Godfather’ by any stretch,” said Steve Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County, California, district attorney who is part of a newly formed alliance of Bay Area prosecutors tackling organized retail theft. “It’s the modern version of ‘Hey, there’s a party tonight’ and suddenly you have 100 kids showing up.”

Three of the estimated 90 people who overran a Nordstrom Inc. store in the wealthy Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, Calif., on Nov. 20 have been arrested, according to Walnut Creek police. The thieves stole more than $100,000 of merchandise in one minute before escaping in 25 separate cars that had their license plates removed or covered, prosecutors said.

In San Francisco, five people were arrested in connection with the Nov. 19 smash-and-grab burglary by 20 to 40 people at a Louis Vuitton store, according to San Francisco prosecutors.

Police in the Minneapolis suburbs, where a large group of thieves hit three separate Best Buy Co. stores on Nov. 26, have identified some suspects but made no arrests, said Lt. Joe Steiner of the Maplewood Police Department.

All the incidents were organized on social media, according to local law enforcement.

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Smash-and-Grab Robbery Surge: Political Impact
Biden's approval rating on crime tanks amid rise in smash-and-grab robberies
President Biden’s approval rating on crime has plummeted as smash-and-grab lootings plague California and other areas of the country.

About 36% of Americans support Biden’s handling of crimes, according to a ABC/Ipsos poll released Sunday. The percentage is down from an October ABC/Ipsos poll, which found 43% of people approved of Biden’s handling of crime.

Smash-and-grab lootings have plagued cities in California, as well as in Chicago and other areas of the country, in recent weeks. The Los Angeles Police Department is also warning residents of the skyrocketing incidents of "follow-home" robberies targeting victims in affluent areas. The national murder rate is also rising this year, jumping 30% since 2020.

Businesses have increased security in wake of the mob retail thefts and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has beefed up California Highway Patrol’s presence at highly-tracked shopping areas this holiday shopping season. The White House has called videos of rampant smash-and-grabs "disturbing." foxnews.com

Atlanta boutique loses $100k in merchandise to burglars, slam crime crisis in US cities

Bongino blasts removal of plainclothes police: 'Criminals don’t commit crimes in front of uniformed officers'

US: 51M Cases - 819.3K Dead - 40.1M Recovered
Worldwide: 271.2M Cases - 5.3M Dead - 243.8M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 328  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 548
*Red indicates change in total deaths

New COVID Variant Spreading Like Wildfire
Omicron in D.C., 30 U.S. states as variant poised to dominate in Europe
D.C. health officials said Sunday they have confirmed four unrelated cases of the omicron coronavirus variant. Three of the people had traveled within the United States; one had not. All four were fully vaccinated.

Omicron was first identified in the region earlier this month, when three cases were detected in the Baltimore area. The variant has been identified in at least 30 states, according to a Washington Post tally.

In South Africa, among the countries to first identify omicron, it has become the dominant virus variant. Officials in Europe said last week that omicron could become the dominant variant in some countries there as soon as this week.

Omicron has been noted as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists say preliminary data suggests it may cause milder cases of covid-19 than the delta variant. washingtonpost.com

Kroger Says No Emergency Leave for Unvaccinated Workers
Kroger to End Some Covid-19 Benefits for Unvaccinated Workers

Grocery chain to remove paid emergency leave for unvaccinated employees who contract Covid-19, add $50 monthly health surcharge for some staff

Kroger Co. is eliminating some Covid-19 benefits for unvaccinated employees, a move to encourage inoculations as the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate faces legal challenges.

The Cincinnati-based grocery chain told employees last week that it will no longer provide two weeks of paid emergency leave for unvaccinated employees who contract Covid-19, unless local jurisdictions require otherwise. Kroger will also add a $50 monthly surcharge to company health plans for unvaccinated managers and other nonunion employees, according to a memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Both policies are effective Jan. 1, the memo said.

Kroger, one of the biggest employers in the U.S. with almost half a million full-time and part-time employees, is tightening pandemic-related policies for workers as U.S. businesses face continued uncertainty over federal vaccination mandates. Rules issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in November require employers with 100 or more workers to ensure employees are vaccinated or take weekly Covid-19 tests by Jan. 4.

Whether those rules, which were targeted by lawsuits across the country, will take effect is uncertain. Last week, a U.S. court blocked the plan to mandate vaccines for federal contractors. General Electric Co. and others have since suspended vaccine requirements for employees. A federal appeals court in Cincinnati is considering whether to reinstate the administration’s rules for employers. wsj.com

Another State Reimposes Mask Mandate
California to reimpose statewide indoor mask mandate as omicron arrives
The state of California will once again require that all residents — regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status — wear masks indoors.

In a news release, California Health and Human Services announced that the mandate will apply to all indoor settings beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 15, and last at least until Jan. 15, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases since Thanksgiving.

Some counties, including San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma and Napa in the Bay Area, as well as Los Angeles County, have been enforcing an indoor mask mandate since the summer. Marin County recently dropped its mask mandate and announced that given its high vaccination rate, would no longer use case rates to set COVID-19 policy, and instead rely on hospitalization data.

"We think it's important at this stage to reorient what we're most concerned about, which is severe illness and death," said Marin County health officer Dr. Matt Willis. "Cases are increasingly mild, so we have shifted towards a more benign form of COVID-19 infection and disease based on vaccination rates." sfgate.com

Philly Enacts Strict Vax Mandate
Philadelphia Implementing COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement For Food, Drink Establishments Beginning Jan. 3, 2022
COVID-19 vaccination proof will be required to dine at Philadelphia bars and restaurants beginning in 2022, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole announced Monday morning. The vaccination mandate will go into effect beginning Jan. 3, 2022 in order to give establishments that serve food and beverages a chance to get ready.

“New cases and hospitalizations are rising in Philadelphia and nationally, and with winter we must do more to protect our residents,” Mayor Jim Kenney said. All establishments that serve food and drinks for customers to sit and enjoy will have to require proof of vaccination for entry.

The mandate applies to indoor restaurants, bars, sports venues, cafes, casinos, movie theaters, and anywhere else that serves food or beverages where customers can sit down to enjoy them.

The mandate will be implemented in phases. From Jan. 3 to 17, restaurants and bars may choose to accept proof of a negative COVID-19 test for entry. After the 17th, negative tests will no longer be accepted and all customers must be fully vaccinated in order to enter. This means they must have either a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. philadelphia.cbslocal.com

Retail Struggles Across the Pond Amid New COVID Measures
UK Government’s Covid Plan B Deals ‘Hammer Blow’ To London West End Retail
London’s embattled West End has been dealt a “hammer blow” in its bid to recoup from a disastrous year as the U.K. government prepares to push through more stringent Covid measures in a so-called “Plan B” initiative.

The government’s new measures will require mask to be worn in most indoor locations and on public transport, while it has issued a work from home advisory that saw already depressed commuter numbers fall by a fifth this morning.

The moves come at a time when South African Covid variant omicron shows every sign of sweeping through the U.K. and the CEO of New West End Company - the organization that represents 600 brands, restaurants and businesses in the West End – reacted with dismay to the news.

Jace Tyrrell said: "While our top priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues, and we fully support mandatory mask wearing in shops, the renewed work from home order during the most important trading period of the year is a hammer blow for our retail and leisure tenants. Many businesses have committed time and money in their Christmas plans in a bid to make up for last year's losses - vital investment that they won't be able to recoup." forbes.com

Have Offices Stopped Shrinking?
February May Be the Month Workers Start Returning
A new Cushman & Wakefield report found high office vacancy rates continues to improve both nationally and locally.

They predict February as the inflection point in the U.S. regarding back to the office returns. They noted, though, that U.S. office rental rates probably will not inch toward normal until late 2022 or 2023.

"Every week in October, and through November, has represented a new post-pandemic high for the proportion of workers frequenting the office," said Cushman & Wakefield in its "Has the Tide Turned Yet?" office report issued Tuesday.

Target caused concern for downtown when it announced earlier this year it would give up and sublease nearly 1 million square feet of office space in Minneapolis' City Center as it moved employees there to a hybrid work model. City leaders feared other employers would follow and permanently shrink their office needs.

Companies with sizable downtown offices such as Target, Thrivent, Ernst & Young and Fredrikson & Byron say they have embraced a hybrid work method that will allow many office workers to return to the office part time and work remotely from home some days a week even after the pandemic ends.

In some cases, businesses will need their same office footprint, but will focus on offering "enhanced" employee experiences that include first-class amenities, services, wellness classes and first-rate technologies. startribune.com

Future of Work: Requiring workers to return to the office is a ‘doomed approach’
Slack’s CEO Stewart Butterfield says the future of work is being dictated by workers who want more flexibility and better tech tools.

Pfizer antiviral reduces hospitalization, death among high-risk people by 89%