Cargo theft poses major problem for retailers, NRF Survey

08 Jun '11

5 min read

“Cargo theft is a rewarding, profitable enterprise, and criminals are increasingly finding ways to infiltrate the supply chain,” said LaRocca. “As thieves target shipping containers, retailers and law enforcement are fighting back with new initiatives and operations to directly address cargo theft.”

Las Vegas, Phoenix Added to Top 10 Cities for Organized Retail Crime

The survey also asked retailers what cities were the most problematic for organized retail crime rings. The top cities, in alphabetical order, are:

• Atlanta, GA
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Houston, TX
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• New York, NY/Northern NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Phoenix, AZ

Partnerships Pave Way for Retailers, Law Enforcement Agencies

Retailers know that organized retail crime is not a problem they can tackle alone. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration Customs and Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have all had a very active, supporting and positive role in monitoring and apprehending criminal enterprises known for their organized retail crime activities.

In February 2011, ICE-HSI announced the expansion of its Organized Retail Crime Pilot Program into an ongoing, national initiative, which will be known as the SEARCH initiative (Seizing Earnings and Assets from Retail Crime Heists). This initiative began with a pilot program that involved numerous retailers throughout the country, which used retailers' own intelligence to track suspected crime rings.

In 2009, NRF and other industry associations - with the full support from the FBI and retailers from around the country - announced a partnership with eBay, the world's largest online marketplace, to tackle organized retail crime together. eBay's Partnering with Retailers Offensively Against Crime and Theft PROACT program aims to identify and stop criminals who resell stolen goods online.

NRF Launches Organized Retail Crime Information Center

In conjunction with the release of the 2011 Organized Retail Crime survey, NRF has launched a resource center offering the latest information on organized retail crime.

The 2011 NRF Organized Retail Crime survey was conducted from April 19 – May 10, 2011 by the National Retail Federation. Senior loss prevention executives at 129 retail companies completed the survey with the purpose of identifying the depth of organized retail crime throughout the entire industry. This year's survey features responses from executives representing department/large box stores, discount, drug, grocery, restaurant and specialty retailers.

As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, the National Retail Federation's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well aschain restaurants and industry partners from the U.S. and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2010 sales of $2.4 trillion.

National Retail Federation

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