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“Billions of dollars are lost to shoplifters and employee theft each year in the retail sector.” The Loss Prevention Specialist is in charge of detecting, reporting, and resolving situations in the areas of safety, inventory shortages, cash management, and theft. He or she will also provide customer support according to the Company's standards.
A Loss Prevention Specialist is a key role in professional environment. Typically, this position is known in the retail industries. It is not uncommon to have a need for these skills in office environments – in most cases the skills will be combined into another job title, like an Office Manager.
As much as we would like to believe customers and employees to be honest, this is not always the case. When put in certain situations, humans can be dishonest. It is the responsibility of the Loss Prevention Specialist to resolve these issues in a professional yet prompt manner.
Loss Prevention Specialist Training
Education is a must for this position in most cases. Occasionally small companies will accept an applicant that holds a high school diploma and no higher education. This is a rare situation. Typically, companies will require at the minimum an Associate's Degree with additional training in Criminal Justice. Depending on the size of company, they may require the applicant to have a Bachelor's Degree. Educational requirements vary.
Training in Criminal Justice will prepare interested individuals for the position. There are many ways to obtain the necessary training. Many schools offer this type of learning online for working students.
Loss Prevention Specialist Skills
1. One must have some knowledge of surveillance equipment. As a Loss Prevention Specialist, you will be monitoring closed circuit television systems in some situations. Having a working knowledge of the equipment will be of help.
2. One must be willing to work unusual hours, day or night, weekends and holidays, as the company need may be.
3. Handling intricate situations in a diplomatic fashion is also a must. There will be times that you are faced with employees who may have been dishonest and even customers. Being able to resolve these issues is a must.
4. Maintaining proper records and documentation is another skill that will be used in this position. Keep detailed notes of every situation – doing so will be useful to you and the company.
5. The ability to observe and identify improper behavior accurately and quickly is also a need. Be sure that what you are seeing is what it appears to be before moving forward. Uncertain allegations can be embarrassing and cause undue anger.
6. Another skill is the ability to uphold fair and regular rules and standards by utilizing proper judgment. In most cases, the company already has a set of standards in place. The Loss Prevention Specialist needs only to be sure that these are followed by all of the staff members and customers.
The Loss Prevention Specialist is in a nutshell, the Honest Police. With proper training and guidance, this career path could very well be the ideal position for the right person.
I urge you to do more research on the profession on the internet. You can do this by visiting websites that cover the profession in more detail.
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This is usually a non-sworn position for someone to work as a liaison between police and the community. Before you decide this is a career choice for you, there are some things you need to know.
Education:
It is very important that you know what the educational requirements are for the area in which you are applying. Across the nation, there are differing levels of education you must have to become a crime prevention specialist.
In one state, a two-year degree is required along with one year of relative work experience with no exceptions or substitutions. In other areas of the country for specialized fields such as youth, five years of experience in law enforcement is required. For different states, you may find any combination of the above is required.
Be sure your education and experience line up with the unit you are applying for. Also be prepared for intense background checks, drug tests or even a voice stress test that is similar to a polygraph.
Information you must know about qualifications:
Again, these qualifications may vary from place to place, here is a broad look at the programs that you will need at least some knowledge in:
1) Community crime prevention programs on both the state and federal level; DARE, Neighborhood Watch, Operation ID ( fingerprinting children), and safety and security issues as they pertain to special groups like children and the elderly.
2) General theories and practice of public relations.
3) Reading and comprehension of written reports on a level that allows you to implement actions aimed at meeting team goals.
4) Produce graphic design brochures for training programs and community awareness.
5) Great interpersonal skills that allow for good working environment as well as good community relations.
These are just a few of the skill sets you may need to develop to work as a crime prevention specialist in your area.
Job Duties:
Many job duties come along with this line of work. Below you will find sample job duties that you may encounter as a crime prevention specialist:
1) Meet with community members and or leaders to help resolve issues including neighborhood disputes and grievances. Then identify the conditions that may have caused the problems and a program to fix them.
2) Prepare and deliver training on prevention of common criminal activities such as burglary, robbery, internal theft, shoplifting, fraud, identity theft, sexual abuse and or rape as well as personal protection issues.
3) Work with business and community leaders on methods of preventing crimes including the use of security systems and alarms.
Each city may add to or take away from this job description as the needs of the community dictate. I urge you to do more research on the crime prevention specialist career. You can do this by visiting websites that cover the career in more detail.