According to "Today's Fax " on June 3rd, during a recent inventory of auto parts, Paragon Tank Truck Equipment on Highway 411 in Cartersville, Georgia reported a theft of truck parts. From what was reported the total of the loss was about $ 9000 dollars for the stolen parts. They discovered that the items were missing during inventory. This poses a couple of interesting questions. What would have happened if they did not take inventory? What if the inventory system was inaccurate or the parts have been misplaced somewhere else in the areas of storage.
Since the parts are believed to be missing, and stolen by theft, was it an inside job? How did the thief get the items and which one of the employees was the thief. Put yourself in the owners or managers seat, how would you handle this moving forward to prevent this from happening again. A $ 9000 loss is a significant loss and the cost of inventory, investigation and subsequent morale loss is also costly.
I found that interesting because we had received a call from another auto parts salvage company that stated they had been broken into so many times that they needed a surveillance system immediately. It seems they had tried to maintain and implement a CCTV camera system that they had purchased on eBay. My initial response was, are you kidding me? I don't think I have ever heard of a mechanic trying to install a camera system before. So why the theft of car parts?
With a little research, I found that this type of crime is not so unusual. Many times the items stolen are a quick turn for cash, like the theft of a catalytic converter. The precious metals are the main item of desire. I also noticed that heavy equipment theft was on the rise according to ALFA Insurance. In a older article written by CBS news they state that car theft is on the rise as well. There are GPS devices that will locate either a stolen car or piece of heavy equipment that has been stolen. You need to consider this especially if that bobcat or tractor can quickly be loaded and hauled down the road. But in areas that valuable parts are stored that employees have access to you need to consider a 24 hour surveillance CCTV camera system that identifies people who have accessed the area.
Most everyone these days works on a budget so start small and grow. Consider the Rottweiler BACR program. It allows you to purchase a system for 0% financing. This allows for the purchase of the system at no additional cost of the financing. Next, select a good vendor and do not compromise on the camera. In this case cheap may not be a good thing and more than likely if you purchase cheap, you get cheap. Professional CCTV installers carry extra testing equipment that will allow them to adjust the lens of the camera so that the images are clearer while they are on a ladder or using a lift.
CCTV camera systems deter theft. When someone knows that they are being watched, they tend to act differently. The avoidance of mistrust in the workplace makes for better employee relations and when you have better employee relations its a better place to work for everyone.
