Loss Prevention and Security Plan

Purpose. This plan sets out how the group prevents, detects and responds to theft, fraud, cash loss, process shrink and security threats across all sites, and the security controls each site maintains.

1.Shrink and its causes

Shrink is the difference between the stock the system says the group holds and the stock actually on hand. Its causes are customer theft, internal theft, supplier short delivery, process errors in receiving and markdowns, and waste. The plan targets total shrink below 1.5 percent of sales through controls on each cause.

2.Physical security

Each site maintains CCTV covering entrances, checkouts, the dock, the cash office and high-value areas, with recordings retained for thirty days. High-value products are displayed in locked cabinets or with security tags. Back doors are alarmed and kept locked, and keys and alarm codes are issued to named keyholders and recorded in the key register.

3.Customer theft

Team members deter theft through presence and service: greeting every customer, offering help and keeping sight lines clear. Team members will not confront, chase, touch or detain a suspected thief. They will note a description, report to the supervisor and record the event on the incident and hazard report form. Only trained loss prevention staff will approach a suspected offender, and only where it is safe.

• Greet and serve every customer
• Keep displays tidy so gaps are visible
• Report suspicious behaviour to the supervisor
• Never chase or detain
• Record every event, even where no stock was recovered

4.Internal controls

Individual point-of-sale logins, supervisor authorisation for voids and overrides, two-person cash handling, exception reporting on refunds and discounts, and bag checks under the enterprise agreement are the group's internal controls. Exception reports are reviewed weekly by loss prevention and unusual patterns are investigated fairly and confidentially.

5.Receiving and process shrink

Receiving checks, credit claims for short deliveries, accurate markdowns and waste recording and cycle counts reduce process shrink. Departments with shrink above target will complete a shrink action plan with the store manager.

6.Armed robbery and threats

Team members will comply, stay calm, not resist and observe. After the offender leaves they will lock the doors, call the police, preserve the scene and CCTV, and call the store manager. Support will be offered to every team member involved and the event will be reviewed by the safety committee.

7.Investigations

Investigations into theft, fraud or cash discrepancies will be conducted by the People, Safety and Loss Prevention Manager, will be fair and confidential, will give the team member the opportunity to respond with a support person present, and will be recorded. Police will be involved where an offence is suspected.

8.Review

Shrink results, incident trends and control effectiveness will be reviewed monthly with store managers and quarterly by the safety committee. This plan will be reviewed annually.