NCJ Number
76946
Journal
Security Management Volume: 25 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1981) Pages: 92-97,100
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the development of a successful crime prevention program designed by behaviorists and ex-convicts for Southland Corporation to reduce robbery and related violence in 7-Eleven stores.
Abstract
The initial stage of the strategy in 1974 was performed by the ex-convicts who cataloged vulnerabilities and rated the stores. Subsequently, inexpensive physical changes were made. For instance, cash control was emphasized and signs depicting the cash handling policy were posted, such as 'Clerk Cannot Open Safe.' Employees were also trained not to resist robbers. At the end of the experiment, 30 percent fewer robberies were reported in the test group. In 1976, all 7-Eleven operation divisions adopted the crime prevention program. By 1977, every new employee was given the opportunity to receive printed materials and view a training film on robbery and violence prevention. Merchandise gondolas were lowered to prevent someone from lurking about the store. End counter magazine racks were lowered to 36 inches. Major remodeling included moving the entire sales area closer to the windows and installation of the patented Time Access Cash Controller, safe-like units that secured cash, allowed drops, and vended change on a time-delay basis. In 1980, the security department developed a robbery prevention kit consisting of a collection of decals for each register to remind operators to miminize available cash and a color-coded height indicator which was put on each door frame to help employees judge the height of suspicious individuals. In 1980, a major robbery prevention equipment test was conducted in Columbus, Ohio, and in New Orleans, La. The installations consisted of wireless money clips; instant print, soundproof cameras; panic buttons in the stockroom and cooler; and an out-of-State central station hookup for alarm monitoring. The preliminary results showed that the crime rate in Columbus stores remained relatively flat with a 15-percent decline in robberies; the New Orleans stores' crime incidence was cut in half. Thus, short-term crime prevention investment assured long-term benefits, including the reduction of anxiety-related voluntary turnover, insurance costs, and savings from mitigating most questions of negligence in related litigation. Photographs of the robbery prevention kit are included.