Loss Prevention & Theft Response: the full procedure

Reduce theft through deterrence and awareness while keeping staff safe — never confront, chase, or detain; observe, report, and on robbery, comply and call police.

• Applies to: All store associates and managers.
• Frequency: Continuous, every shift.
• Scope: Business deterrence and observe-and-report only. Any physical confrontation, detainment, use of force, or robbery defers entirely to police and your store’s security/safety plan and local law — no tactics, no apprehension.

What you need

• Store layout / sightlines
• EAS tags & cameras
• Incident report form
• Manager / police contacts

The procedure, step by step

1. Deter by presence — Greet every customer and stay visible on the floor — attentive, engaged staff are the strongest, safest theft deterrent.
2. Keep clear sightlines — Maintain tidy displays, good lighting, working cameras, and EAS tags on high-risk items so theft is harder and more visible.
3. Stay aware — Notice concealment, tag tampering, distraction teams, and watched-exit behavior — observe quietly, don’t accuse.
4. Never confront or chase — Do not physically stop, grab, block, detain, or chase a suspected shoplifter — no item is worth a staff member’s safety.
5. Observe & note — From a safe distance, note appearance, clothing, actions, and any vehicle for security and police — let cameras do the recording.
6. Report up the chain — Tell the manager immediately and, per policy, report the theft to police with the details and evidence you gathered.
7. On robbery, comply — If someone demands cash or goods, comply fully, stay calm, make no sudden moves, and never resist — protect lives over property.
8. Call police & secure — Once safe, call police, secure the scene, preserve evidence/footage, and follow your store’s safety plan and management direction.

Quality check before you finish

• Staff greet customers and stay visible as deterrence.
• Sightlines, lighting, cameras, and EAS tags maintained.
• No staff confront, chase, detain, or use force on a suspect.
• Observations noted safely for security and police.
• Thefts reported to the manager and, per policy, police.
• Robbery response is comply-first, then call police once safe.
• Evidence/footage preserved and safety plan followed.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Small Retail Store business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• NRF — Impact of Retail Theft & Violence (nrf.com)
• Trainual — Shoplifting & Employee Safety Policy (trainual.com)