There has been an upsurge in thefts and violent robberies at supermarkets forcing business owners to spend large sums not only for security systems but also to implement additional measures to safeguard their staff, said President of the Supermarket Association of T&T (SATT) Rajiv Diptee.
“Everyone is trying to see how they can increase their efforts not just by ramping-up security systems, which not only include physical aspects like infrastructure but also the security of employees is critical because they are also being targeted.
“For instance, it could be a store manager who criminals may target to get access into the store, or certain contents of the store, and we have seen a couple of instances of that within our network,” Diptee explained.
He said supermarkets are also advised to conduct frequent vulnerability assessments of their operations, usually in tandem with security experts which is another huge expense.
Coupled with this, are increases in pilferage with thieves targeting both high-end and basic food items which also eat away at profits.
About a year ago, Diptee spoke about thefts at supermarkets, but from then to now he said the situation has worsened, adding that it is not only because people are desperate for something to eat.
“The stealing is now more rampant and people are alluding to this as economic difficulty, but this is not always the case. People are targeting the high-value items and not necessarily the basics and that is indicative they want to make a quick sale on the outside.
“This has become so onerous that some owners are keeping more of these items locked away,” Diptee said, noting that for any business security is one of the top three costs which is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.
Saying his members are frustrated, Diptee called on the police to do more to nab perpetrators and bring them to justice, emphasising that crime continues to eat away at profits.
According to the SATT president, there is also a lot more gang activity primarily involving youths who also target supermarkets.
“That is very alarming because they can find jobs but instead they are getting involved in criminal activities,” Diptee added.
While the larger stores can afford to fork out more for security, this is not the case for smaller community establishments whose finances are limited.
“We have noticed the smaller stores are under serious threat because they are the ones being targeted when you see these incidents of violent armed robberies taking place.
“When bandits come into a store, they pull out guns, they jump the counter, they take everything from the register and as a result, you have more anxiety in the business community,” Diptee said.
To assist, the association has also been taking its own proactive approach including using discretion in instances where people genuinely find it hard to make ends meet.
“There’s a lot of pilferage which goes unreported but I might get a phone call and some assistance would be rendered to the person given their economic circumstance which forced them to steal in the first instance,” Diptee explained.
He listed basic food items like cheese, flour, oil, sugar and margarine as being popular choices for shoplifters.
The higher-end items like baby formula, coffee, alcohol and ghee are grabbed to be sold on the outside, Diptee added.
“Cheese is now considered a higher-end item because it has gotten really expensive and when these things are stolen it represents a hit that the smaller stores just cannot afford,” he said.
He added thieves still find innovative ways to tote away goods like breaking the seal off certain products like oil and pouring some into a chubby bottle or tearing a pack of flour and emptying some into a bag.
In some cases, there are repeat offenders.
“We also have internal networks where we identify repeat offenders and stores are put on alert. We also share this information with the community police so they are also on the lookout for persons of interest who have a history of stealing,” Diptee added.
Price Club Director Shamshad Ali also told the Sunday Business Guardian that from his observation, supermarket thieves move in well-organised rings.
“It is not a one-off thing. They are organised in this crime. They come in packs of four and five. They come in the store not together but they would work together and they have creative ways of shoplifting like hiding items in their clothings and undergarments,”
Ali said, noting that bread and ghee are among the popular items stolen and the latter is “still being pilfered quite heavily.”
“You would be shocked that these large tins of ghee where they find places to hide it on their body,” Ali added.
Agreeing that security is increasing due to crime he said establishments can only absorb this up to a point.
“Every cost in any business will be reflected in the price that is offered to the consumer. You can absorb your prices up to a point but how much can you absorb?” Ali said.
Ali said that at Price Club, which is located in Chaguanas, there is a compliment of 25 security officers, CCTV cameras, as well as 24-hour monitoring among other features.
“It is not as simple as putting a guard by the door,” Ali noted.
Holistic approach needed
A couple of weeks ago, SATT was part of discussions involving nearly every chamber in the country.
Diptee said so fed-up are businesses by the crime surge that they are closing their doors earlier.
“Everybody is acknowledging this situation does not affect just supermarkets. Some people are closing their stores before it gets dark.
“This aspect of crime has created a poorer environment for the business owner because they don’t want to stay open to become a target. And I mean by 5, 6 pm they looking to close,” Diptee said.
About three weeks ago, while speaking in the Senate, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds assured that the police are making efforts to tackle shoplifting at supermarkets.
He outlined these as including increased stop-and-search measures in and around business areas which include supermarkets.
“These patrols are mandated to make public spaces a focal point, inclusive of business districts on their patrol routes, and some operations have been intensified to target particular vehicle types and prolific offenders that are known to the police for engaging in that kind of criminal activity,” Hinds explained.
While this is welcomed, Diptee wants a more proactive policing approach, noting that the response times by law enforcement are “sometimes very limited.”
However, Diptee said it’s not always the fault of the police.
“In their defence they tell us they don’t have enough vehicles or manpower so it’s really left up to us to secure our premises,” Diptee said.
But he welcomed Hinds’ statements, saying he remained “optimistic.”
“It means that while we are developing a stronger relationship with the police service, they will also develop a stronger relationship with us,” Diptee said.
Some supermarkets, however, have lost faith that crime can be abated and have chosen to instead to permanently close.
In March this year Woo Ling Grocery, one of the oldest businesses in St James closed down.
The supermarket, which is located along the Western Main Road, in the vicinity of Agra Street, has been in operation for over 60 years.
It was being run by Brent Woo Ling, his 83-year-old father and his 80-year-old uncle.
