The DIY and Building Trade Loss Prevention Forum – which includes B&Q, Homebase, Travis Perkins, SELCO and Ridgeons as members – is now sharing Best Practice and data to help thwart thieves and reduce losses in stores and yards.
The sector has a number of unique loss prevention issues, namely the size and location of the yards and ‘sheds’ and the threat of burglaries involving large and high value items.
Copper piping has become a major source of concern because of its global scrap price (the global price of which is likely to reach GB pound 7,000 per ton by the end of 2011).
British Transport Police say brazen thieves have stolen copper piping from rail sidings at great personal risk to passengers and themselves: criminal actions which have halted trains and disrupted the transport infrastructure throughout this year.
Staff are now on constant vigil because thieves visiting DIY stores and builder’s merchants have been hiding the copper tubing inside plastic drain pipes and asking till staff to scan the plastic while it is still in their trolley to avoid detection.
Other types of crime on the increase include drive-offs, when thieves masquerading as tradesmen take advantage of the vast yards by loading up flat-bed lorries and leaving the premises without paying.
Fighting crime, sharing intelligence
“We have come together to fight criminal practices and share intelligence from our businesses,” said Jim McKenna, head of group security at Travis Perkins and the newly-elected chairman of the DIY and Building Trade Forum.
“From plants that go in the ground to hire plant, much of the equipment and the materials we have on offer are high in value which is why we find ourselves a target from external thieves,” he stated. “However, we will also be working together to drive the issue of internal compliance to ensure all staff follow Best Practice procedures.”
The building trade works on generous credit terms to help SMEs. However, some of the procedures in place have, in some instances, been subject to abuse over the years and require attention.
“This is not necessarily theft,” asserted McKenna, “but simply bad practice that has developed unchecked. Putting this right is like picking low hanging fruit in that it’s not on the surface hard to do, but does require a behaviour change and winning over the hearts and minds in our sector. This is really what collaboration as a sector is all about.”
Mission of the new DIY and Building Trade Loss Prevention Forum
The mission of the DIY and Building Trade Loss Prevention Forum, then, is to work collaboratively and to influence relevant organisations at both a local and national level for the purposes of reducing the risk of criminal activity and levels of shrinkage suffered in the DIY and building trade sector at the hands of both external and internal thieves (as well as fraudsters).
The driving principles of the Forum are the protection of people and property. In the case of people, this refers to both customers and staff members.
The new Forum is facilitated by Anne Davies of leading loss prevention specialist ORIS who used to work in the DIY sector.
Davies said: “The industry is interesting because it’s both very traditional but also very contemporary: it caters for both skilled trades people and the amateur DIY practitioner who want the latest domestic technologies and the best in lifestyle accessories, both inside and outside of the home.”
Davies went on to say: “The size of the premises and the staff required to offer good and effective customer service present a number of challenges in terms of security and compliance. As is the case with the other sector-specific Loss Prevention Forums that we facilitate on a regular basis, it’s encouraging to see the sector working on those issues in a collaborative fashion.”
