Customer fraud is big business all over the World and not just in Britain. People who pass over counterfeit money tend to use larger denominations such as £20 and £50 notes. With the introduction of higher resolution scanners and copiers this money is very difficult to identify. To an untrained eye this money will look like a normal twenty or fifty pound note, it’s only when you take it to the bank and being told that it’s worthless that you realise what has happened. The sad news is that once you have accepted this illegal money into your till there is no compensation for you to recoup your losses.

One way to protect yourself is to purchase the simple but brilliant Chaperone® Money Pen, this will not only ensure that all the cash going into your till is legitimate but can save you hundreds in lost revenue. The unique ink in this counterfeit detection pen can distinguish the diffrence between counterfeit paper or legitimate money, the good thing is that the pen also has a shelf life of 12 months.

* The opportunist, these thieves are encouraged to steal as goods are often left unattended.
* The Drug user, these thieves steal to keep their drug habit.
* The professional, these thieves often work in teams and target high volume goods. These groups often have ‘minders’ to protect them.
* Shop Staff, sometimes the staff will turn a blind eye to colleagues lifting stock or putting items through at reduced rate.
* Young people, often put under pressure from older children and parents this type is on the increase now.

Theft in certain shops can be down to the type of stock that you sell, location of the premises and the position of your stock. There are several things that can be done to protect your shop and goods. A good alarm system is a must in any factory/shop, expensive goods should to be tagged and the use of CCTV is an ideal way to deter would be thieves,(remember to use CCTV you must use the proper notices and signage). The use of mirrors is always good as your staff can often then see every corner of the shop. These are only a few of the things that can be done to protect your goods, for more advice talk to the crime prevention team in your local area. Remember that from your local shop to a multimillion pound mall, no-one is immune to shoplifting.

Main Crime Prevention officer from Tayside Police, Donald Campbell said, “CCTV is not something that you fit and forget. It must be properly deployed and maintained before it can do the job it is designed for.” Many Police officers found that when they turned to CCTV systems in shops to help aid with a crime they found that the staff were unable or not trained to download images, the CCTV system itself was so poorly maintained that the images were of a very low quality and finally staff had actually placed obstacles in front of the CCTV camera such as christmas decorations.

Mr Campbell goes onto say, “I would urge all owners or managers of businesses with CCTV cameras installed to take the time to make sure that their system is fit for purpose.” Here at Crime Prevention Products we cannot urge businesses and property owners enough the benefits of having a well maintained, up-to-date CCTV system protecting their property and their staff.