Is there anything that I can do to prevent my premium from increasing? There are many actions with little or no cost that can be done. Tip 34 – Accusing Customers of Shoplifting – Consequences! According to I.S.M.E. the cost of shoplifting to retailers for 2014 was in excess of €330m. This in turn apparently adds 3% to the cost of products. It is incredibly difficult to show any tolerance of offenders and maintaining personal emotional control is a challenge to say the least. It is quite clear that there are persons willing to take advantage of this fact by deliberately provoking retailers and their staff to accusing them of shoplifting in the knowledge that they could potentially be awarded damages which could cost as much as €22,000! I want to again remind you that cover is provided under the Public Liability section of your Shop Insurance for such claims but you must remember to report any such incident to your insurer immediately and follow their instructions in terms of procedure. Before approaching a person there are simple steps to follow: 1. You must see a subject enter your shop and see that the customer does not have any merchandise in their hand or that they haven’t retrieved an item from their own purse, bag or pocket. 2. You must see the customer select your merchandise 3. You must see the customer conceal, carry away or convert your merchandise 4. You must maintain continuous observation of the customer 5. You must see the customer fail to pay for the merchandise 6. You must approach the customer outside of the store out of hearing range of others Whilst not always possible it is also advisable to have a colleague with you. When approaching, be polite – friendly – apologetic even! Enquire if perhaps they may have taken an item and perhaps overlooked paying, or indeed that a teller possibly missed an item and suggest that they return where you will take for the item without having to enter a queue. Remember – train your staff how to respond! Always remember – call us to discuss any/every incident. We will advise and guide you.