5 Quick Tips for Holiday Season Crime Prevention

New York--‘Tis the season for distraction thefts and mental mistakes.

For many jewelers, business will pick up throughout the month of December. Their stores will (hopefully) be more crowded, and many will extend hours or, even, open extra days in order to accommodate customers and finish special orders.

Below, Jewelers Security Alliance President John J. Kennedy provides five pieces of advice for preventing in-store crimes during the holiday season.

A similar theme runs through each tip: Don’t get sloppy with security protocols around the holidays, when hours can run long and sales associates get tired.

1. Watch for Distractions.
What Kennedy is referring to specifically are the gangs of Roma, also known as Gypsies, who have been perpetrating sneak and distraction thefts in jewelry stores across the country.

“They are rampant,” he said, “absolutely rampant.”

Their M.O. is this: They enter the store in groups, often groups of women and sometimes with children. They try to confuse the sales associate by asking to see a lot of different items, with the hopes that they can grab an item that’s left on the counter or reach into an unlocked showcase.

They also have been known to switch product.

The JSA has issued numerous warnings about Roma in recent months, including this bulletin from fall 2016 and this story from June about a group of six individuals wanted for a distraction theft in California.

2. Always Lock Up.
Kennedy’s second tip is a continuation of his first, but it applies whether a sales associate is waiting on a large group with the potential for distraction theft or just one individual.

He said even when stores get busy, employees need to make sure they lock the showcase after they take out an item to make a presentation, and then lock it up after they return the merchandise.

“If you leave open showcases in a busy store, someone is going to reach in there and take goods,” he said.

3. Educate the Team.
Many store owners bring on part-time employees during the holiday season, but not all of them take the time to bring them up to speed on how the store works.

Kennedy said store owners need to spend an hour reviewing security procedures with seasonal employees--including the store’s protocol in taking credit cards--and update them on any industry crime trends, like the distraction theft gangs mentioned above.

Otherwise, they’ll be the weakest link for store security.

4. Take Time to Review.
In addition to educating